From: / (Slash) Magazine Autumn 2005
July 4th, 2005 it's 2pm in Justin's backyard in Brooklyn. Seralina at the salad bar...
It's one of those New York summer afternoons you can really be proud of, where everything seems perfect; sunshine, warm but moderate temperature and humidity, and to heighten the experience a smattering of good friends, a couple of whom really know their way around a barbecue...we have the odd appropriate tune thrown in to punctuate the moment, whether with that intent, or as is often the case, coincidentally "at exactly the right time."
As the food begins to hit the table, a couple of beers have been consumed to fight off the heat and the mood lightens in anticipation of this afternoon devoted to freedom...
Boyd (B)- "Babe, you and Della need to get those margaritas' happenin'."
15 minutes pass with a continued push in this direction, until the girls head off upstairs with a mission in mind...
David (D)- "So Bud, where do we begin?...tell me where you come from. How did you get here, get to meet the woman for you?"
("No Diggetty"- Blackstreet plays on into the warm afternoon)
B- "I'm from Eastern Kentucky... you'll see my true redneck qualities surface after a few of those margaritas! ...A girl at work at the theatre in Prestonsburg thought I could be a model. It wasn't something I'd thought much about- somehow being skinny and writing poetry wasn't giving me the props the quarterback had!...it did seem like a way to get to the "outside world", though I had no idea it would give me even the opportunities I've had so far... Luckily, I just decided to take the chance when it came and from all this I've put together a book of poetry, done some writing classes, and with some of the money I've made, shot a couple of short films that were well enough received that I signed up for film school at NYU. I start in September. It'll be a bit tough to juggle that, and continue with this, but it'll be worth it. I'm assisting a director on a feature for the month of August that David Armstrong hooked up for me, so that's great - going to school... everything they teach us should have a practical relevance. School will be great I think. Many like minds to bounce my ideas off, and a bit more credibility towards who I am, rather than just what I look like."
The margaritas and O arrive to "Steamroller" James Taylor.... "Stoned, guaranteed to blow your mind..." playing in the background.
D- "What's important for you two... individually and together?"
O- "God, my family, and trying to keep my relationship with Boyd more focused... on "flying" terms... being creative, happy, and progressing."
B- "To live my life consciously, to live my life honestly..."
O- "Happily ever after..."
B- "...and to attain some worth within the art I aim to create."
D- "Do you feel you can continue easily along your separate paths? There will inevitably be time apart, crossing over occasionally. Does this keep it fresh?"
B- "We're just a couple."
O- "Yeah, a couple!." It's not easy to do.. it could be better - I'd like to be always together, but I think it's also good to be apart- The job calls for that anyway... when we are it's for reasons that are worthwhile, so..."
B- "It's not all what we want, but some things just have to be... for a time anyway."
D- "How did y'all meet?"
O- "I asked him out first, and he's like "Slow down buddy - take it easy!" (she starts hassling him - it's a very tactile relationship. Affectionate and volatile and fun... all at the same time!)
B- "Don't poke me... I'll poke you!"
O- "Oooh, Boyd is in control! (ever so slightly sarcastic)"
B- "I really care for this girl! (another hint of sarcasm!)"
O- "We get along pretty well.. Haha!"
B- "I loves ya, baby!"
O- "I was in a taxi on the way to the airport and I thought... I love this guy."
Dolly Parton's "Marry Me" bounces into the conversation...
D- "So what's next for you Omahyra?"
O- "I'm going to do "X-Men 3" with Brett Ratner...I think I'm Stacey X?...Oh, and Paris tomorrow for the Couture. I think the launch of the book, and the party of course! (the release party for Ellen Von Unwerth's book "Omahyra and Boyd" coincides with these shows)... but I never really know - they tell me where to go, and when. It'll be great to see friends there again.. it's fun! It'd be nice if they brought Boyd too. We seem to end up together at the hotel in Paris a lot!"
B- "They didn't even contact me about the book launch, party, ...nothing."
D- "What impact do you think this new book will have on your presence in this newfound "culture of celebrity?"
B- "You'll know me as well as you can in two dimensions - No, that's wrong. Even those two dimensions are very directional... narrow."
D- "Did you have any control over the ultimate portrayal?"
B- "None whatsoever. I was told I'd have a say in what was seen. Funnily, I could only get to speak to her assistant after it was shot, and that wasn't easy either."
D- "Do you think there was consideration for you both, and your roles, and how they'd be seen in the final result?"
B- "I don't believe what I want to be shown will matter. It'll be what excites her. To an extent she documented "Us", but she's using the images to promote herself.. she's selling it... it has a price tag."
D- "Do you think this will lead you to demand more control in future situations?"
B- "No, not totally- it was an indulgent moment... if you agree to work with someone else on their project, you open yourself to their perspective, and if you trust them, you allow them to create, and you resepct their vision. Now that I'm working on my own projects, I appreciate where an idea can lead you. By placing restrictions, it limits the possibilities within the creativity. It gets easier to allow more freedom, as long as you respect their work... I seem to get a little more say, and respect in some things now - Maybe it's because I've come to this understanding!"
D- "So where and how does credibility fit into your desire to make an impression?"
B- "I'm only as good as what I produce. Hopefully it'll be judged well, and fairly, and on "the work"... separate from what people seem to come to from what they "see" of me, which are after all only images, and someone else's at that. It's amazing how some people form opinions of who I am, simply by seeing pictures of me, and imagining what I did to get there... I've been lucky, but we also make our own luck!.. All I can do is show what I have, and hope someone finds value in it."
D- "How do you feel about the present culture of fame/infamy, at any cost?"
B- "There's as much blame to be had by the person who seeks it out, as there is to those who devour it in the tabloids... who grovel at it..."
"Flava in ya'r ear" - Biggie... the Bad Boy Remix plays on....
The afternoon rolls to evening, the burgers, beers, margaritas, conversation... all flow through an easy evening into a great night...standing on the roof trying to find fireworks...
B- "We look young, but we live a life!"
O- "A crazy life, Yeah!... but still, I'm the boss of me, and you're the boss of you!"
B- "Hell Yeah!"
And finally "Hallelujah" - Jeff Buckley... dedicated especially and often to "O" begins to play.
B- "Y'all want to play charades?"
Title: Boyd & O
Interview: David Shields