“Hi, My Name Is Ryan” and the L.A. premiere

Last night, I attended the L.A. premiere of “Hi, My Name Is Ryan” at the ArcLight on Sunset. I want to thank Mike Dana (the producer, who I finally got to meet last night), Paul Eagleston and Stephen Rose (the filmmakers, who through this process I have become able to call friends), as well as everyone with AFI Fest and ArcLight Cinema, who were very friendly and hospitable. My partner Megan Marie and I, who were introduced three and a half years ago by Ryan and his frequent collaborator Emily Spetrino-Murtagh (who is all over this film, and looking debonair), were happy to reunite with Ryan for the first time since our visit to Portland while he was on his mission.

For those not already familiar with the film or my involvement in it, Ryan is a fellow performer and show promoter that I met back in the day in the Phoenix underground music and art scene. As everything from a punk rock singer to a talk show host to an improv actor, he has made messes, shed blood, incited riots, and ripped his guts out for a wide variety of audiences. As soon as he had really made a mark and found his niche, he left town for a two-year LDS mission. The documentary interviews Ryan, his family, his friends (including me), and some detractors, too.

I was onscreen a lot more than I had anticipated, including a lovely shot of me tens of pounds heavier than I am now, wearing little clothing, banging a microphone into my head and lunging at an audience at Ryan’s farewell show. But mostly, my presence was footage from an interview where I provide my analysis of my buddy Ryan and his work. I know from Ryan himself and my conversation with him last night that he doesn’t think I’m completely spot-on with my take, but I’ve learned through my own work in documentary and reality programming that in a group involved with the same series of events, each individual has their own perspective on things, each with varying nuances. But I appreciated my input and contribution to the film being seen as worthwhile enough to include to help frame the story. Here’s hoping I can be an onscreen authority again sometime in the future! VH1’s “I Love The 2010s” perhaps?

Actually, there are a lot of voices in this film to add their insight, including someone who has been painted as the antagonist in the film (and rightfully so, for the sake of the narrative), Wayne Michael Reich (but I still consider him a friend, even if him and Night Wolf have yet to have a tearful reconciliation). I appreciated how fairly and compassionately the film portrayed Ryan, and really all of us involved in that scene at that time. I know Phoenix has changed a lot, the scene there is always either evolving or going dormant, at times an exciting and/or vicious cycle. This movie was a wonderful chronicle of a heyday of not only Ryan and his projects, but of a lot of people I have had dynamics with (some good relationships, some maybe not so much), all whom I felt sentimentality for in the midst of this nostalgia. It was neat to see all those people, projects, and places I know so well, and in some cases, learned a lot more about.

For the casual viewer, of course, for the audience member not intimately familiar with the central figure of the film or its other interview subjects, I can only imagine how it will all be perceived. Based on the reaction at last night’s screening, Ryan comes off the same to strangers as he has for most of his hometown crowd - a prolific, inspiring, and entertaining fellow with a good heart.

There was a Q&A after the show, for which I turned out to be completely useless. All the questions were for Ryan, mainly about his faith. The way it is handled in the film surprised me at first, but in retrospect, was absolutely appropriate. The audience learns about it the same way myself and many people I know did, long after we had all become acquainted with Ryan and his work.

The film also covers his childhood, his family, and his struggle to balance life in the mainstream world (particularly the conventional school system) with everything his spirit propels him to create. Getting choked up at the sadder aspects of Ryan’s past helped me appreciate his positive energy even more, and that’s the ultimate lesson of the film.

Ryan and our mutual friends are talents and forces to be reckoned with, and this documentary is an accurate and compelling portrait of some genuine and creative people.

I look forward to this film being picked up and distributed on a wide basis, but in the meantime, go support it at a film festival near you. Dates are available at HiMyNameIsRyan.com.