Other coincidences: turns out David Koh is one of the producers of "Black White + Gray". Which brings me to my first encounter with Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith. In 1970, Harry Smith had a friend, Sandy Daley, who had made a film, "Robert Getting His Nipple Pierced". So he arranged a screening for Jonas, and i was there, and Linda Patton and Callie Angell. And i remember... well, Callie and Linda and i were a little squeamish about watching the movie. (In 1970, piercings were not as ubiquitous as they would be.) But the visuals showed Robert Mapplethorpe... and the soundtrack had Patti Smith delivering one of the most raucous monologues i'd ever heard (at least, until that time). And a few months later, Adrienne Mancia and Larry Kardish programmed Sandy Daley in the "Cineprobe" series with "Robert Getting His Nipple Pierced" and its sequel, "Patti Getting Her Knee Tattooed"; at that time, the latter film had no soundtrack, but Patti Smith performed an impromptu monologue. Sandy Daley, Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith were at that screening, and that's how i met them.

(Of course, Harry Smith always thought i was strange... because the first time his program played at the Invisible Cinema at Anthology when it was part of the Public Theater, he was there, and though eating and drinking were not allowed, Harry brought along a bottle of vodka, which he wanted to share with the audience. But when it was passed to me, i passed, since i don't drink (i still don't), and Harry looked at me and asked me if i had seen his films, and i said i had, and i said that i had watched them without smoking or drinking... and he couldn't believe it! Harry said, i like my movies, too, otherwise i wouldn't have made them, but i can't imagine seeing them when i'm not high!