Recently an associate of mine suggested I act more
professional in regard to horror, because he said my actions and my attitude
was going to ruin my career. Here is my answer to that. To fucking hell with
that! Here is one thing you need to realize, I’m never professional. To me
professional means kissing people’s asses and acting like a Stepford person.
Professional means letting people get away with shit, because you feel if you
object you will be going against the popular opinion and the status quo.
Professional means letting people use you and take advantage of you because you
feel you need their approval. Get this straight, I’m who I am. I’m genuine. I don’t put on a
false image just to win the approval of others. I don’t need their approval.
They either accept me for who I am or they can fuck off…Simple as that.
The fact is I’m an artist and a writer, which both tend to
be less than professional by the social way of thinking. Look at two very
artistic people I admire who truly are unprofessional. One is Mr. Howard Stern.
Howard truly doesn’t give a flying fuck about what is professional and what is
not…Howard is Howard and he simply doesn’t care. Then there is my mentor, Mr.
Harlan Ellison. Harlan will tell his fans they are total idiots if he feels
they are being that way. He actually told a representative from Warner Brothers
studio that he would come down and burn down their offices if they didn’t send
him a free DVD copy of Babylon
5 because it contained an interview he had done. He doesn’t play politics or be
nice and kiss the ass of anyone. Yet both men are extremely successful and
respected for being who they are.
People in the horror community use the word “professional”
as a crutch or excuse to criticize someone for not doing things their way or
not bowing down to them. The truth is that professionalism in the horror is a
myth. All supposed business is done on a social level rather than a truly business
only level. That is why so many unfair and sneaky deals are done. Filmmakers
cast their friends over better prospects. Convention organizers invite only
their buddies and ignore local talent. Convention organizers blackball people
simply because they ask the fans to request them. Vendors get free tables and
get to go to VIP parties and other events because they are buddies of organizers.
These are the people who are called “professionals”, what they should be called
is brown nosers and ass kissers or worse cheaters and liars. William Pattison,
aka Eric Morse, is not a brown noser or ass kisser and is definitely not a
cheater or a liar (though some have dared to try to say otherwise) thus I am
unprofessional. I say good.
And to a certain two convention organizers, communication is
the key to understanding and knowing how to communicate is even more important.
If a person is uncommunicative or depends on public opinion the best way (by the definition of the horror community’s
style of professionalism) to get a response is to bring the issue up in a
public forum and force their hand. Thus when it comes down to it I have been very
professional in how I've handled the two of you (gag). You don’t like how I play your games then play mine…be honest, be
fair, and show me the respect a six time author deserves, which is the same as
any actor or documentary filmmaker…period. Simple as that. You don’t and you
deserve what you get. This is me communicating and I’m hoping you are
understanding. That is more important than making the excuse that I’m
unprofessional…
Here is an example of what I mean....
Here is an example of what I mean....
