It is not a new thing for artistic processes to be inspired
by some of the more menial aspects of life. Campbell?s Soup and Coca-Cola cans
were an inspiration for Andy Warhol. Several stories in a 1967 Daily Mail
newspaper came to be the basis for some of the lyrics John Lennon wrote for ?A
Day in the Life.? Brian Wilson used recordings of barking dogs, trains, bicycle
bells and dog whistles when producing what would become his magnum opus, Pet Sounds.

In all of these instances, some of the most ordinary,
familiar and everyday objects have inspired and been incorporated into some of
the most innovative artistic works.

And then came Vincent Moon, a 26-year-old Parisian
filmmaker, whose unique film vignettes, called the ?Takeaway Shows,? feature
popular independent music acts performing in and exploring everyday urban
surroundings.

?Sessions are filmed as a unique shot without any cut,? writes
Moon on his website. ?We usually haven?t much time to record them, so the
groups have to be spontaneous and play with what they have with them, and with
their environment, whether there?s a public audience or not.?

In some of the episodes, you might see the Arcade Fire or
Liars banging out their songs in elevators. In others, you might witness Grizzly
Bear singing the much-covered hit ?Knife? a capella as they saunter down the
Parisian streets or perform acoustically in an apartment bathroom.

But in all of the episodes, you will see both the musicians
and the camera interacting with everyday urban surroundings, creating and
capturing a somewhat fortuitous beauty that is both foreign and familiar.

As a result, the ?Takeaway Shows? ? available on the French
music weblog, La Blogotheque ? have generated quite a buzz in the music
community. This spring, Moon and crew will celebrate the two-year anniversary
of the ?Takeaway Shows,? and we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to
talk to Moon about the past, present and future of his film series just before
its second birthday.

In full disclosure, the following interview with Moon actually
took place in December via e-mail. For the sake of conveying the intimacy and
naturalism of the ?Takeaway Shows,? I have restructured the interview to be
written as though we had actually met and talked, thus framing the conversation
in the way Moon might have, had he filmed it as something to ?take away.? Moon himself
told me in the interview, ?I like to think that the filming and editing [of the
?Takeaway Shows?] really makes you feel that you have experienced something,?
and I hope to approximate the same feeling and make this encounter feel like it
could have been experienced by anyone.

Everything attributed to Vincent Moon was indeed said by
him, just not in the context that I have imagined. So without further ado, The
Badger Herald presents a ?Takeaway? lunch:

?

Vincent Moon and I decided to meet at a restaurant of his
choosing. Upon arriving, I instantly recognize the man sometimes seen floating
in and out of his videos, sometimes carrying a microphone and at other times
wearing a pair of headphones.

He looks as though he has not shaved in several days, but at
the same time, his not-yet-realized beard perplexingly seems to have a sort of
permanence to it.

I introduce myself, and we sit down. I glance over the menu
and begin to discuss what I might eat in the way people rely on menus for small
talk upon first meeting. Our conversation of the cuisine somehow finds us
talking about the inspiration for the ?Takeaway Shows,? which, ironically, is
food-related.

?My partner Chryde [Moon] and I were picking up some dinner
one night before a show and we were both so tired that we thought, ?Instead of
going to the whole show, wouldn?t it be nice if we could take that to-go
also” says Moon in an accent that is easy to identify as French.

I am at once surprised.

?Take-out food and fatigue, the inspiration for the ?Takeaway
Shows?? Really?? I think to myself, straining to keep a casual facade, so as
not to make my incredulousness noticeable to him. After thinking it over
further, I realize it is too fitting. Isaac Newton comes up with the universal
law of gravitation after seeing an apple fall from a tree, Vincent Moon comes
up with the ?Takeaway Shows? while waiting for food before a concert.

He continues talking and mentions that his enthusiasm for
flipbooks was pivotal in developing an interest in doing film.

?My background is really in photography, but I became very
bored with still images and so I started making flipbooks with my photos,? he
says.

I think of the antiquated, literal term ?moving picture.?

?I made a different flipbook every day, and eventually,?I
got tired of flipping and thought I should just film instead,? he adds.

And thus the ?Takeaway Shows? were born of take-out meals
and flipbooks. I finish my round of preliminary questions by asking about the
artists ? not the objects ? that inspire his work.

?My main influence today is certainly Jean-Luc Godard,? he
answers. ?But yesterday it was Peter Tscherkassky, and tomorrow it might be
Stan Brakhage again.?

I nod, only knowing one of the three artists mentioned. But
Godard?s preference of real locations instead of sets and his disregard for
continuity and convention all seem present in Moon?s work, I think to myself.

?I also love having my friends being involved in the filming
process and keeping productions very small,? Moon continues. ?I try to make my
process as transparent as possible so that people will feel that filmmaking is
accessible and feel inspired to do their own projects.?

He may have achieved that goal.

I mention the recent video I had seen on YouTube where a
band performs acoustically in the back of a taxicab. Everything about the video
had used the ?Takeaway Shows? as a reference point. The news of this seems only
to humble Moon.

?Has someone been affected?? he replies genuinely. ?What
wonderful news! Seriously, I know it had some great impact in the last months,
a lot of people seem to start filming the world ?differently,? in a more
intimate and simple way, more human way, but that is not due to my work ? it?s
something that our generation needed, something in the air with all the digital
era, and I?m just part of it.?

I suggest that the Internet is interesting because of it how
it can simultaneously connect and disconnect us. I immediately regret saying
something so cliche. I try to recover by asking about how plausible or
successful the ?Takeaway Shows? might
be without the Internet.

?It might be possible and it might be successful, but I
don?t think that I would be doing it,? Moon responds. ?It?s the Internet which
allows it to be free and accessible, and that?s something I really love about
it. I?m a futurist. What?s the point of making a project for any context that
isn?t now or tomorrow??

I shrug, not able to tell whether the question is rhetorical
or if I should attempt to answer it. I ask him a question so as to avoid
answering his.

?What is the process behind deciding how you will shoot each
band or artist??

?I love improvisation!? he exclaims. ?If any planning does
happen, it usually happens on the way to the filming. Of course, each project
is different, but the less I plan the more that always seems to happen.?

The last sentence resonates with me.

I realize I am pretty much out of questions, except perhaps
what he might be doing with the ?Takeaway Shows? in the future. I ask if he has
considered putting together a DVD or anything of the sort.

?We?ve thought about it, but there?s no real plans yet,? he
replies. ?Maybe I?ll put a giant flipbook together! That?d be cool, with some
sounds hidden somewhere.?

I laugh. I remember that there is another question I was
meaning to ask.

?What is your favorite ?Takeaway Show? segment and why??

?The Dirty Projectors? ?Takeway? for sure,? he answers without hesitation.

?I loved that one, too,? I reply.

?A friend of theirs was recording sound, and now she?s my
girlfriend,? he continues.

?Maybe we like that one for different reasons then,? I joke.
He laughs.

We finish our meals, and he tells me he should be going. I
shake his hand, preparing to say my farewell in his native French, but then
realize I?d just look foolish. The last thing I say to him is: ?Thanks for
having lunch. It was nice meeting you, and I really dig your shows.?