I'm clearly an outspoken guy. Just my nature. I have a big personality. I can either fill up a room or suck the life out of it. Honestly, it's all ego. I just assume people need to hear what I have to say. It's becoming clear to me that other than my family (and they have to listen to me) and a handful of people on Twitter, Blogger and Facebook, most people don't need to hear what I have to say. In fact my reps and network would kinda wish I'd just shut the fuck up.
One thing I've realized over the years is that I do best when I follow my gut. So far, it's served me well. In life and in my work. I've never made a career choice based on a career choice. It's always been about the project. I stayed on The Shield for seven seasons because in my opinion there was no better show on TV. I created Sons not because there was a demand for an outlaw motorcycle show, but because I loved the world. I take on movie projects because they excite me not because they advance me.
But my gut-following often leads me into a thrusting closed-fist. My lawyer has a saying -- Don't wound anything you can't kill. Sound advice. I'm trying to take it to heart. At the moment, my world is littered with the bloody and the pissed. My recent blog posts have created a flurry of fan mail (writers) and hate mail (network executives). I'm used to getting death threats. I'm averaging three or four a season, usually from schizoid inmates who demand a piece of my paycheck because the Virgin Mother whispered the idea for SOA to them in a dream. But this is the first time terminal harm was tossed at me from a 130 pound, lipstick-wielding, Chanel-wearing, development executive. Quite honestly, she was much more frightening than the inmates. And I must admit, very sexy, in a -- I'll-fuck-your-brains-out-then-bash-your-brains-in kinda way. She stopped me today as I was getting off my Harley outside a Starbucks in Burbank and asked me if I was Kurt Sutter. She was too old to be a friend of my daughter's and too young to be anyone I ever dated. I assumed she was a fan. I was wrong. She was a development executive at a network. She wished me dead. Literally. Said I was a dick and she hoped I crashed and died on my Harley. My first thought was, maybe I did date her. She's fucking crazy enough. That was my main dating criteria before I met Katey. Then she mentioned my blog. Now I understood. Apparently some bigger websites picked up excerpts of my previous blog and my "why network dramas suck" diatribe went far and wide. The following was roughly my conversation with this lovely young woman.
KS: What was wrong with the blog?
DG: You're an asshole. Job is hard enough without arrogant pricks like you shouting bullshit from your fucking mountain top. Shows a hit. Big fucking deal. You'll be crawling back to us when it's not.
KS: You didn't answer my question.
DG: Everyone I work with is smart, well-educated and very story-savvy. We know how to do our jobs. Shit you said was general and ridiculous. You've never even developed at a network. How the fuck would you know?
KS: Where's the proof?
DG: What?
KS: Your proof that you're smart, well-educated, story --
DG: Fuck you.
KS: I'm serious. I want to believe you. You're probably right. Name something on your schedule that you're proud of. That's original. Smart. Great stories.
(She names two shows)
KS: First of all, I agree with you, (show 1) is original and interesting. So why are you pulling it off the air?
DG: It's not canceled.
KS: Of course it is. It's been yanked from the schedule and replaced with reruns.
(Silence)
KS: And (show 2)... c'mon, you were just honest enough to wish me dead and you're gonna stand there and tell me you're proud of that piece of shit.
(More silence. Then --)
DG: We've got shows in development that I'm very proud of. Original. Smart.
KS: That's great. Then get 'em made. I fucking dare you --
(She glares)
KS: I dare you to prove me a dick. Get those shows you love made. Fight for them. Don't let anyone turn them into dreck.
KS: I dare you to prove me a dick. Get those shows you love made. Fight for them. Don't let anyone turn them into dreck.
DG: (Dripping sarcasm) Yeah, okay. I'll do my best.
KS: I have no doubt.
(Silence)
KS: Can I buy you a coffee?
DG: Fuck you.
(She walks away)
KS: Did we ever date?
(She almost smiles)
My point for bringing up this conversation is the very reason why I blog. I think it's necessary for people to stir the fucking pot. Too many talented people in this town are content collecting a big fucking paycheck, hooking their fucking collar to the leash and getting in the fucking tow-line. People care less and less about originality. I see it happening all the time. Writers and directors whom I respect, taking big juicy overall deals, getting turned into machines churning out shit they wouldn't have even watched five years prior. I get it, we all want the brass fucking ring, but at what cost? So what if I ruffle a few feathers, if I get one person thinking, questioning the system, then maybe I've said something worthwhile.
Or maybe I should just shut the fuck up.
Either way, I just hope I stay alive long enough to witness the change or lack there of.
Or maybe I should just shut the fuck up.
Either way, I just hope I stay alive long enough to witness the change or lack there of.
108 comments:
You doing good fella. The folks in Hollywood are pretentious twats.
They are spoiled with their money and hooked into the machine, you're right.
They have taken many shows off Network because they weren't totally dumbed down with fucking laugh tracks.
The worst thing you can do is put a show on air that is predictable and a spin-off.
If a show doesn't make you THINK then it's fucking garbage.
You should definitely not shut the fuck up. You are 100% right in what you say. And if it burns a few bridges in network tv land who cares? So long as it wakes up a few writers, producers and directors into realizing that the tired old model that network tv still relies on is dead.
Anyway, keep on using twitter and blogging. Your updates on the show, fan input on dvd content, and general open door to those who love your work is a refreshing change from the normal brick wall elitism that has become hollwood.
Hi Karl,
I love your blog and I love the defiance! I work in commissioning for a network in a far distant country but I get all your points. there's always a huge tension between a writer's need to be original and distinctive and the broadcasters need for that orginality to meet the demands if its schedule. On the one hand, broadcasters try to protect and grow talent, on the other,writers sometimes need to be given steers on their shows that makes them very unhappy - hence the rage!
That's pretty funny. Keep stirring the pot. It needs to be stirred.
Love the show. It's damn good.
Please do not 'Shut the Fuck Up'. Your creativity and originality will slowly and surely bring the change to Hollywood that they desperately need. I think people are envious they can't speak their mind the way you do. Keep on keeping on! You're at the top right now for stretching the limit and not 'Shutting the Fuck up'... :)
the fact is original shows almost always fail financially so it's better to stick to more financially secure shows. That said there are some creatively interesting shows coming soon to network TV (NBC's Persons Unknown for example)
I hope you don't shut the fuck up!! I don't agree with everything you say (but I like that because you get me thinking---and it would be boring to just read, watch and listen to someone that I agreed with ALL the time). I find you a very interesting person (although I don't know you personally) and that is one of the reasons why I'm sure SOA is the success that it is!
I think it's great that you talked with this woman rather than just telling her to fuck off which is probably what she expected.
Great write up! Keep it up, and please don't ever let any silence your brilliant mind!
Hey Kurt- fuck that bitch. She can eat my ass and all the yummy ingredients.
SOA is mine and my wife's favorite show. Guess what was before that? The Shield.
As much as I would lover to see another empty CSI or an over budget
free falling Trauma...not so much
Do what you do baby. Without you I would be reading more (keep Sons going for at least 3 more years)
Paul
As always man, well done.
Here's a threat for ya Kurt, don't you dare stop speaking your mind and producing quality television. Without you there'd be nothing worthwhile to watch, so thanks man. That woman was just pissed caus you opened her eyes and forced her to look at how much shit she's willingly shovelling to the masses. Oh and season 2 is blowing my mind. I didn't think season 1 could be topped but boy was I wrong. Keep up the good work!
I love how your mind works, I love that you questioned her & you KNOW made her question herself although she would never admit it publicly. I hope that you never just shut the fuck up voices like your should be heard!
I lol'd that you offered to buy her coffee & asked her if you once dated, even as pissed as she may have been she's laughing about it now. Even us crazy chicks can laugh at something like that ;)
I'm a over 50 y/0 lawyer who lives in the middle of Arkansas with my husband. I enjoy reading your blogs because I find them interesting, articulate, thought provoking at times, and entertaining since they rarely have anything in common with my everyday life except I watch television (and we watch much less TV these days because of the reasons you have cited).
We like and watch SOA because it is well acted, well written, has a great ensemble cast, and most of all, it is entertaining. Do we have anything in common with a gun-running California MC- NO, not even close.
It seems like every new show on network TV gets cancelled before the end of the first season. Take last year's ABC show Life On Mars - original, well written, well acted, great cast and gone after one season.
Please keep blogging regardless of what others think. You blogs are read and enjoyed.
Please keep opining on the generally crappy nature of network telvision.
Awesome. And let me just say thanks Kurt. Your "revelations" about TV development are not alone in the entertainment business. I see it in my own career as a video game developer. It's controlled entirely by publicly traded, golden parachute-packed, number crunchers who could give a shit about taking a chance on an engaging piece of original entertainment.
Your words have inspired me, as a creator, to stop wasting my time and talent on shit I'm not proud of. I am young in my industry and hope that I can bring some change to the future of gaming. (not to sound all "obama" about it)
Holy SHIT, that sounds like my Exwife. Nothing gets you going like a hot blonde with a huge fake rack standing over you in a thong with a knife and telling you that God told her to kill you.
Really, a guy from Jersey speaking his mind; what a concept. Keep up the great work.
Jerzey Bill
'Ride Hard and Die Free'
Whatever you do, don't shut the fuck up. Very few writers and producers have blogs to begin with...and a lot of those that do exist are just advertisements for their shows.
I love reading your blog and appreciate the fact that you call it as you see it.
As far as SOA getting renewed, FX has renewed many lesser-performing shows. You're a shoe-in.
You have very quickly become one of my favourite "voices". Yes, in part because SOA is the best show in a great many years, but even more so because of this blog and the views you hold. It is so incredibly refreshing.
So keep it up. Who knows, in the future, you may have to go viral and do the entire show on the Internet, but I for one will click on as many advertisements to keep your creativity on the air!
Keep stirring the pot Kurt! Most of the crap on TV today is such an insult to my intelligence. I somehow feel soiled and dirty if I watch some of it. I refuse to lap at the network puke piles of previous seasons so keep up the great work!
Do not stop stiring the pot!! I agree with you, too many people get comfortable and complacent. Too many people do not speak their minds about the bullshit out there. Keep pushing Kurt, i'm sure you got a ton of people who got your back and feel the same way! I'll keep stirring the turd on my end!
Great point. I do the same thing on a much smaller scale in my company. Why do people look at those of us that ask questions as "trouble-makers" or assholes? I believe Miles Standish said it best,"Fuck the status quo"! Ha!
Thank GOD! I thought you were going to tell us why you have to stop.
Sorry, boss - the "Suck" post has already been distributed to college students as an academic treatise. It's immortal now, even if you delete it. :)
This blog made my DAY!!! (And it just started) I'm glad that you dared her to make those shows. One of the reasons I dont watch too much tv is because its CRAP. Reality tv sucks and all the other shows have to many cliche characters. You can only take the cat fights, bitches, lame story lines for so long. But SOA..now thats a damn GREAT show!
So what if you voice your opinion on your blogs. Did she forget thats the whole purpose? Freedom of speech baby if she doesn't like it then screw her. I feel like tv has just gone to hell. There are usually at least 2-3 shows on that resemble each other and have similar story lines. TV execs want whats hot, and right now thats SOA...so I'm sure eventually there will be about 3 motorcycle dramas added to next years tv line up.
Happy Blogging Kurt! Keep it up! I look forward to your blogs.
Please don't shut up. Who cares if people don't like what you have to say. The truth hurts and your conversation with that woman just proves it!
And if they don't order a season 3 of SOA, somebody is on crack!
Some really interesting and refreshing stuff you have been doing with this blog, man.
Keep it up. Most of the other talented showrunners are too old to be this outspoken about shit.
Rod Serling never compromised himself.
David Chase was sick of people bitching about not having enough creative freedom on the networks. Everybody has the ability to strive to make something complex and worthwhile within the system.
Dude, I have no idea how old you are, but you sound alot like me. lol
I related to your quote " I can fill up the room, or suck the air right the fuck out of it". People either love me, or hate me. I have people pissin their pants trying to allow me them to be their friend, or standing in the dark shadows plnning to drag me in the woods and bury me,
Yet It will never stop me from standing up for, and talking loudly about injustice and wrong in the world.
The problem today is, in my opinion, People are too huggy, no one says what they think anymore for fear of retribution or hurting someones feelings.
Fuck that!.... If I dont tell you that you have a booger dangling from the tip of your nostril, How you gonna know its there?
in the end, ( And this is my quote.. " Sixty years from today, none of this shit is gonna matter"
Ride Free
Support 81
East Coast
Kurt.
Here is the deal: you tell the truth - the unvarnished truth. You don't buy into the bullshit, and those of us who don't play the game pay the price - one way or another. I know I'm not telling you anything new.
Now, on to what I've been wanting to say since SOA S2 started: you are a fucking genius man. I don't, DO NOT use that word casually or lightly. GENIUS. I respect your talent, your drive and your ENORMOUS wit. You bring SO MUCH energy and entertainment into the lives of many, but I'm just talkin' here about my husband and me. You rock, dude.
Thanks for being the Captain Sully of Hollywood: right man, right time, right place, doing what you were meant to do.
I think you have to stir the pot in life. Not to go all philosophical here but didnt you feel better after you said what you felt? I got into a beef with a security guard this morning and instead of being meek and mild I spoke my mind. Yep, it will probably make my life more difficult but we need people and not just Kurt Sutter to stir the pot. Too many morons running things.
Apparently, this business we call 'show' attracts a lot of dicks of both genders.
Seriously, telling someone you don't even know you wish them dead.. wow.
Whoever thinks they can suffocate an artist has never appreciated the arts. It is like people who don't have pets in there lives.
Stick it to the man and then become your own man!
you are awesome. i wish i got to run into you outside Starbucks. keep rockin' the fucking boat. it makes me feel less alone!!!
Keep on doing what you are doing. We love you for it!
you rule!!
Preach on Kurt!!!! People can't stand hearing the truth! The show is great and I agree with everything that you have said/blogged.... Keep up the good work and f**k the haters!!
First of all don't shut the fuck up. What you have to say needs to be said. Your fans WANT to hear it and everybody else (tv exec.) NEEDS to hear it. The show you have made is the best thing that's been on tv in years. Every aspect of it is amazingly entertaining. Sons is the only show that keeps me in my seat the entire time it is on. As for not hearing about season3, it will be picked up. The fans and ratings have spoken. However,if it doesn't I would rather say "remember that great show that Kurt Sutter put out about motorcycles and they were too stupid to renew it for another season", than "remember when Sons was a good show and went to crap because Sutter caved to all the network asses". You should be true to yourself and your vision not many people have the guts to do it anymore. Your fans are behind you 100%.
How truly disturbing. It goes to show how screwed up the priorities in this town are. I wonder if this woman realizes that by her actions and words, she has done nothing but support everything you’ve said. As a fan, as a biker, as a woman I can only feel pity for someone so small that she would wish death upon someone simply for speaking their opinions and experiences. Instead of rising to the challenge and doing something to prove you wrong, she has done nothing but disillusion even more people to the bullshit that is Hollywood.
I, for one, respect you, your work and your opinions. Not that it means much in the large scheme of things but I support your right to say what you think, what you feel, and what you experience. If people didn’t, many of the great movies and shows that were made in the past never would have come to be. If more don’t now we’ll just drown in the crap that is “reality” tv. But since many are scared to speak up, maybe that’s just what we deserve.
you should NOT shut the fuck up bro.. You're the only one in Hollywood that I know of that actually lets them know what I think as well. Nothing is original, or smart anymore and most the crap on TV nowadays are reality shows.
Look at Mtv for example, i remember when i was younger back in the 80's and early 90's it was all MUSIC hence the name Mtv. Now its all fake reality shows, and hardly any music unless you tune into Mtv2 or Mtv @ 4am. I have no clue what thes shitheads are doing... SoA is one of 3 shows that I even watch on tv anymore....
Keep up the great work, SoA does nothing but amaze me more and more every episode on how talented you are.
Keep blogging and speaking your mind, your the only one I know of in Hollywood that does it, and they DO need a wake up call.
Sleevedbiker
http://sonsofanarchyforever.com
THIS is the reason I fuckin admire you, sir. You stand up for what you believe in. Fuck the haters. The shows that are good and original always seem to get cancelled, while steaming turds are kept alive due to corporate bullshit. If SoA had been optioned by a network like NBC, ABC, or CBS, it would've been run into the ground and wouldn't be anything like we wait impatiently to see every tuesday... hell, it probably wouldn't have gotten past the midway point of season one.
All I can say is keep up your amazing work. It's people like you and your desire for originality that keep America entertained.
I think you proved your point quite clearly...it's true that speaking your mind can be a career hindrance in this day and age, but to thine own self be true, brutha.
Hahaha, oh man that's good. Keep up the good work you subversive asshole!
PLEASE, PLEASE don't stop the communication. IT's refreshing, interesting, challenging and thought provoking. Isn't that what writing should be?
SOA is the best show EVER. However, your postings are more than just SOA (although I love those). Honesty etc. is needed. Who says the messenger shouldn't be you. Fuck her & the rest of 'em. Jealousy is a bitch. There may be a lot of talent out there in LA network world (? so they say) but there's obviously NOT alot of balls.
Keep going. Best to you & yours
I love you. Please don't ever change.
Freaking brilliant! Every one of us who has dealt with development execs (or even been one) has wanted to say that at one time or another! Thanks for making it that much clearer for the rest of us...
Thanks for the blog and thanks for the show! I just found SOA this season and had to go and buy season 1.
I think your interaction with that woman was hilarious, and it shows that you really hit a nerve.
You mentioned that you liked one of the shows she was involved in. I know you don't want to comment on that show in particular, but what are some of your favorite shows on TV right now?
Keep up the good work!
Keep up the good work and the good fight!!!!
dvader70
Hey
Again great show and by the way, whenever I tell people what a great show it is, they say, "oh yeah isn’t it? I just love it" so Im having a bit of an issue spreading the word as it appears to already have been spread...
Regardless, one of the best things is the attention to detail around the bikes and that end of the "lifestyle". The fact that the sons have the small fairings and the Mayans ride FLs with the 20" wheels and the ape hangers, and Jax wears KDs, very cool. These things wouldn’t have to be right to still have a good show, (how many people would know how wrong it was if the Mayans rode Dynas?) but they are, and that's fantastic.
So, with that has background... "...as I was getting off my Harley outside a Starbucks..." begs the question, What's your ride? Love to hear a description or see a pic.
I'll see the lipstick-wielding, Chanel-wearing development execs deathwish and raise ya a blessed be, ride safe and wheels up.
Honestly, some people just can't be let out in public alone.
I admit, there have been times when I've called you names but usually because you did something with the show I never saw coming and I usually pride myself on having half a clue as to what you're gonna do next but that has more to do with my own vanity than you....Well hell, I think I just had an epiphany!!
Perhaps your no apologies, I'm going to make the kind of quality I want to see on television attitude is making the rest of them have to stare squarely in the face the fact that they sold themselves and their creativty out for a ticket on the gravy train.
They just didn't have the patience to wait for both. You're living proof that you can be successful and not compromise your integrity. That's gotta suck for them.
As always, I say be who are and the hell with the nay sayers you know who loves ya baby (most of the time anyway hee hee) ;)~
You talk about trusting your gut, well the reason you didn't shut the fuck up and shouldn't shut the fuck up is because you're on to something here and your gut is telling you so. The responses you're getting mean that you're doing the right thing - not the easy thing, not the "correct" thing, but the right thing. None of these suits have ever done the right thing perhaps even once in their lives, so to them it's a mystery why anyone would.
I dig your shows and I respect your stance. Keep on keeping on.
I don't know enough, or well, anything, about the business of getting an original show, or any other kind of show for that matter produced, so I won't delve into that. However, as a viewer, I couldn't agree more with you. Almost every new show that pops up on the tube is just a copy of another failed show just with different actors and a new title. There is no originality or there wasn't until I saw my first episode of Sons of Anarchy last year. I have to say, it is the only show for which I am willing to give up my time to watch each week. It is extremely entertaining and I can't wait to see what's going to happen from week to week. If only other writers and producers could give us more of the same.
Amen, brother. Too many people have been coasting in too many jobs, watering down too much creativity for too long.
I look at the number of people writing television today, I try different shows every year, and I seriously can't believe there are so many lousy shows out there. Who told these people they could write? But it's not always the writers, is it. Clearly, good work is getting made in a few places.
I remember a time when I was excited by the idea of writing for tv. As a child, I knew that's what I would do. (There's a good long story there for another time and place.) There were shows I wanted to write for, there were specs I practiced writing, there were names I looked up to, even in their misfires. (Fontana, Bochco, et al--you've already covered my list.)
And now? I work in theatre, because I can write what I want, collaborate with people I trust and create work that I'm proud of. There are very few places I feel I could approach, tv-wise, and very few shows I'd consider writing specs for.
So thank you for your work--SOA is a show I know I couldn't write, but it's a show I'm excited to watch. Keep fighting the good fight and writing the good stuff.
Keep up the pressure. There is virtually nothing worth watching on TV anymore ( excluding SoA of course! ). The network shows I have tried to watch a few times are lame beyond belief even when they get a good star that has been in good stuff previously. It all comes back to the writers.
Good work!
Awesome read, as always.
I'm assuming it was a Fox executive and (show 1) was Dollhouse. It's original and interesting, but obviously being canceled since it's being pulled in favor of reruns of Bones and House for sweeps.
Keep on fightin' the good fight, sir.
What a riot! This was a great blog, it had me chuckling throughout (I have to contain my laughs because I'm at work).
Please keep talking, I appreciate the insight you give along with the reality check on the industry types. Words are your weapon and you've used them well throughout your career.
As a fan of all kinds of television shows, I have to say I agree with you about network shows (the big four). For a long time I was all about HBO, but in the last five years, Showtime and cable networks have been stepping it up in their original programming.
SOA is my favorite show for the fall season, the only show I actually plan to sit through commercials and watch. Your gut has served you well. Keep talking, I'm listening.
It's not just television. I work in the games industry and it's quickly becoming the same way. Executives want to play it save, make the guaranteed quick buck. How many Guitar hero's are out now? I remember when studios would try new things. Be bold and make something different. The indie game scene is just about the last frontier for true creativity. It's pretty sad.
Kurt - Keep up the good work. Enjoy your blog and all that you have to say. When you are successful, it will bring out the worst in people sometimes. F*&^ them if 'they' don't like what you have to say. There are 6.7 billion people on the plante - you can't please all of them :-) Love the show, the writing and appreciate the thought that goes into such a deep show.
Truth is power and frightening to those that hide behind something else disguised as it.
As Emma Goldman said,
"The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause.."
You are doing the right thing and have an army of supporters at your call.
If we worry about the approval of others who are we really living for?
L&Rs~
Happy Halloween!
I have a lot of respect for you. Keep following your gut.
You have inspired me to write today. Because of SOA, I discovered your blog and visit everyday to see if you have anything new to say. Your talent to create outstanding TV drama, in fact, SOA is the only show I care to watch on TV, seems to know no bounds. I am not one to give compliments lightly nor to feed anyone's ego. I will however, be the first to congratulate someone on a job well done. SOA has given me a reason to look forward to Tuesday night, a show that my husband and I BOTH like and now have in common. In addition, your opinions and well written blogs, you have inspired us to think, not necessarily an easy task in an enviroment where "status quo" seems to be the comfortable norm. Thank you, Mr. Sutter, for standing up for what you believe in, having the balls to act and speak in accordance to those beliefs and inspiring others to do the same. I may not always agree with you but I ALWAYS look forward to broading the horizons and learning about things that are beyond my little town in the south. I hope that you continue to do what you are doing and I promise that if SOA is not renewed, TV will not be worth watching again. Many blessings, Theresa
always go with your gut, do not die on your harley and do not shut up ... rinse and repeat!
Can I formally apologize to you (or anyone else reading this) for not following this blog sooner? I feel like I total schmuck for missing out on this.
Please, please, PLEASE keep up the good work, on both the blog and the show.
Kurt ~
I like you, I really do. I'm not sure if it's because you've created an amazing show, your blog inspires me creatively (which has never happened) or because we share the same friends.
You wrote before that SOA was about being of service. I LOVED that. What an incredibly humble suggestion. Control the things you can and hand over season 3. It'll happen.
Now about season three - what if Otto was transfered to Folsom Prison!!! :)
Let us know if you come out here - I know where to get a great free cup of coffee!!
Thanks for being service!
Jaime M
Please do NOT shut the fuck up.
We need people to stand up and say what's on their minds. We need people to be honest and hold to what they believe and go with their guts. We need creative people to stand up for their ideas and get them made the way they should be made, not allow others to suck the life out of them.
If it's a bad idea, it's a bad idea; suggestions to help fine-tune are appreciated, and if in the end it simply doesn't work, we learn from our mistakes and apply what we learned to make new ideas better, more well-rounded and vivid the next time.
But to not even try... to allow others to talk you out of your creative vision... to allow them to sanitize it to the point of pointlessness... that is a nightmare to me. I far prefer you (and creative people like you) to stay 'loud-mouthed' and challenge people to raise their standards for quality, not lower them.
Please keep talking. Thank you.
love the post, kurt.
while i don't believe that SOA breaks new ground in the historic sense, it does stand out in the current slate of "dreck" most networks produce these days. it also doesn't hurt that it hits a bullseye on a coveted target demo...thus living to see another season.
i think the major networks need to think of themselves as narrow-casters, or at least competitors with the smaller cable channels, and start taking real chances again.
i also love the fact that you had to point out to ms D the importance of passion. i think too many people confuse long hours at focus groups and meetings with true passion and creativity.
with SOA...it's refreshing to see writing and story trump high concept and production value.
but i have to say...it's a little funny that your hollywood tale begins with you pulling up to starbucks on your harley. is it coincidence, or irony, that the two of you caffeinate at the same chain coffee shoppe...the NBC of coffee? i hope you didn't spill any soy on your shiny new bike...
Big brass balls. Fuckin' A.
Please don't ever change. Your honesty in a world full of bullshit is refreshing. Besides, sounds like that uptight bitch is jealous that she probably couldn't come up with an original idea to save her life.
You should have told her to switch to decaf. She sounded a little high-strung.
As far as "shutting the fuck up"- please don't-
It's refreshing to see people who a) tell the truth and b) hold their peers to a higher standard. Or any kind of standard. It gives hope to those of us misguided enough to want to be TV writers. Good on you. I, for one, appreciate and respect it.
Kurt l enjoy the hell out of your show. Keep up the good work. Say is jax gonna tell clay he knew about the hit on opie? Inquiring minds want to know.
Regarding that chick who wished you dead, I borrow an overused line from a movie: "You can't handle the truth!" Well, she can't.
Most TV is bullshit these day. So-called reality shows that are no better than some tabloid rag.
SOA is one of the best shows on TV now, and I would hazard a bet that it will be for a while. Oh, when I say one of the best, it's pretty much THE BEST. All around. Writing, acting, etc.
So, when that death wish spewing woman comes up with an equal, or better show *HA!*, maybe she'll be the one who's getting the death wishes.
I appreciate your take on network development and I generally agree (Pushing Daisies should still be on the air, if the networks were sticking to their guns.) But this post comes off as more than a little misogynist. Do you judge every woman who approaches you by their body first? That's not much different from judging a TV show by its audience numbers.
You mentioned her weight, big no no that's gonna get you another death wish, especially if she weighs less than 130 LOL
Keep up the great work Kurt, fuck'em, gut instinct never let me down.
Kurt,
Keep on stirrin the pot!
Your creative juices are addicting.
Wow, Little Miss Die Sutter Die must be one seriously threatened, terrified of failure, got-something-to-prove chick. To approach someone and wish them dead to their face all because they said something unflattering about your profession has to be some kind of benchmark on the 'how secretly fucked up are you' front. It must suck to be her no matter what it seems like on the outside.
Of course you shouldn't shut the fuck up. You know that really, but being wished dead to your face, in a detailed scenario no less, is a really lousy thing, so I'm happy to add my encouragement if you might need it.
By the way, you've got me seriously heartbroken for Otto - Luanne too.
lol..wow..that was a helluva read...I've said it before and I'm saying it again...SoA is the best show on t.v now.
People don't like it when something out shines their "baby"..My guess would be SoA beat out something she had to do with...Don't let the haters get you down..
Forgive me, but I nearly pissed myself laughing at the discussion you had with that exec. The reason Sons of Anarchy's such a hit is that you don't take crap from anyone (well, I'm sure Katey is the exception).
The only thing you need to do with the show is get a good deal to air the show in Canada. :)
Wow, what a pretentious bitch you met there. She's living on an exec paycheck while millions of people around this country are out of a job, and she thinks "it's hard"?
Maybe if people in her position stopped trying to maintain the status quo and tried to make the quick buck, we'd actually have something to be excited about on network TV.
And like someone else above said, it's not just TV, includes other entertainment such as games as well. I mean, how many Call of Duties (and numerous spinoffs on other platforms) have they come out with now in the last years? The 1st was innovative and the 2nd was a great improvement, but later iterations (even to an extent Modern Warfare) were just the same old with different colors.
Btw, could you tell us what 2 shows she mentioned that she thought were original? ;)
Thanks for speaking out in a way that many of us viewers cannot. SOA is one of the three shows I am watching. Just three because the ones I like get canceled and the rest are an insult to my intelligence. Please keep speaking truth to the network powers.
Women hate it when you speak the truth, so judging by her she-rage, you must have hit the nail on the head. As a perpetual tv-watcher i can't help but be smacked in the face by the polarization of tv programming -- everything these days is made to be palatable to the female demographic (sometimes at the expense of the male core demographic. Look at Law & Order this year: why is character "Anita Van Buren" suddenly getting airtime for a public service announcement for breast cancer awareness? Tedious. Yes i love the character and would hate to see her killed off in this fashion, but the simple truth is that the storyline has nothing to do with anything that has come before it in the series. It's jast a blatant grab at a larger share of the female audience (which is fine), but it detracts from the shows strengths.
As for "Sons", i loved the first season and found the concept to be a worthy successor to "The Shield". This season, however, blows. How can the leads get their asses kicked every week (even as a build up to greater things)? Where's the anarchy. They're like the "keystone cops" on bikes. The Sons have been relegated to the lesser of two evils and this is not good for a show of this type. I hope you can rediscover your path before it's too late.
Thanx, Dude
D-Girl needs to read these comments as well as the blog. Maybe she'll get a real understanding of why your fans like the show so much!
Can we say original and creative??!!
Hubby and I love the show! Keep up the good work and... DON'T EVER shut the Fuck up!
Thank you for such a candid review of the TV Development world. All to often, scripts are developed to hell and what was once brilliant becomes a watered down mess of cookie cutter characters and stories.
It is the writers who refuse to sit back and let executives take control who successfully maintain the creativity and originality of their series (ie. you and the Mad Men creator who made a few enemies on Emmy night).
Thank you for speaking out and saying what so many of us are afraid to say in public. Also, thank you for continuing to put such a stellar product on air.
Hello from Spain, Kurt.
I'd been watching SOA since its birth (through the internet, as no channel is brodacasting it here, too busy with realities and boring shitty shows) and reading you in here for a while now. And I feel moved to reply you with this cute, nice post.
First, if that death wisher uses to read this blog, she must be pulling her hair off right now; nice move, that one.
And second, your answer was quite long; mine, I guess, should had been something like "that's my opinion, if you have one open a damn blog and post it". But yours was quite damn better.
You must be a pain in the ass for quite a few people in your industry right now, but what I feel through these posts of yours is that even when you think there is a lot of ugly stuff going on in the industry, you love it to the core, and it just pisses you off the shit of it.
I think that you are doing a pretty good job here, opening the windows, putting the things visible. Keep it going, man. And don't ever think in shutting the fuck up. If you ever have to do something about things like this, it should be speaking it louder. Because by doing this, you are proving that things can be done in a different way, and that there should be no need of silence. The time to stop talking shit should be the times when there is no shit left to talk about. In the meanwhile, criticism can never be a bad thing, but a necessary one.
Regards, and say hi to Katie.
That is funny. Don't you love it, almost as much as life itself, when you can calmly, cooly, make someone realize they aren't the shit they think they are?
Your sword is your quill and your tongue! Fight on! You're bound to wake up one or two sleeping giants, but surely you'll inspire a few lethargic soldiers! SP in PHX
One can either sugar-coat shit.... or stir it up! We have way too much of one, and barely enough of the other! SP in PHX
Suburbanhermit, sounds like Law and Order really is the show for you, anyway. Best wishes!
Oh shut the fuck up!
(Just trying a new creative trend in this blog ;-)
First time I've read your blog and I have to say that it is a perfect example of why SOA is so well done. It's got the attitude that is missing from every other show on TV. Keep up the good work and by all means keep up the attitude.
Kurt, It's don't wound anything that can KILL YOU in my world. Calm down, you know it's the Jersey that comes out when we're pissed off. Enjoy the show's success and dont give a fuck about the networks and chicks in Burbank who have to tell you how talented/hard working they are. That was pretty funny tho, I have to admit.
I get so tired when TV execs pander to what they think my demographic would like, being a 30-something female. I think network TV is the equivalent of pink box gaming, or "causal" games being marketed to women. Nothing wrong if a person prefers that, but I most certainly don't and get a bit insulted when people try to feed me a stream of dumbed-down crap and call it entertainment.
So screw the nay-sayers and death threats. Thanks for putting a show on TV that actually makes me think.
Please, keep on talking. You seem to be the only one with any weight who has the balls to.
What's wrong with storytelling is what's wrong with all of America. We're living in fear and letting The Man run things. Anyone who calls bullshit is accused of dissent and stoned to death, usually before anyone else has a chance to hear.
People like you are the ones who initiate change. You pave the way, an I for one thank you.
I applaud you for your ability to voice your opinion and stand behind it. I must say this wouldn't be the case if a pee-on or staff writer were to say something like this. That person would be fired within moments of the conversation, but then again an exec probably wouldnt be holding a convo of this magnitude with a pee-on. At anyrate I'm glad to see a person stick up for what they believe in. I know you worked your ass off to get where you are today and you totally deserve all the success. Keep sticking up for what you believe in! Its good to know there are real people out there who still fight for what is right. God bless.
You know, this is equally as interesting tuning in to this blog as watching the show every week. I am ENTHRALLED with hearing what happens BEHIND the show, to MAKE the show- the gears and wires and mechanics that make up the motor. I really find it fascinating to see through your eyes what goes on. Tell me more!
I have no idea who you are, but since you had the taste to give Ron Perlman a series & you tweaked a D-Girl, I love you.
Years ago, I kept considering that perhaps it was better to be a wallflower. The problem was, even if I tried, I couldn't succeed. I was either in the spotlight, or the doghouse my entire life. I decided that some people in this world were meant to be wallflowers, and others weren't. After decades in my business, I am okay with the fact that I will never blend in with a mold or crowd. You tap into a crowd of fans that watch your show, because it is different than the boring safe dramas or God forbid reality show. The only thing that your fans want, is MORE Sons of Anarchy.
I knew when I saw a dozen tubes of lipstick that I was going to like this post.
Thank you Kurt Sutter. Thank you for being yourself and making people think. I truly love Sons of Anarchy and can't wait to see what else you have in store for us. This was the first blog i've read from you but now I know i'll be checking out more.
Keep up the awesome work.
What a fucking whack job. People like that are pretty much exactly what is wrong with (most of) network television. Maybe she ought to focus all that energy into those "original" & "smart" shows she's developing.
Lemme guess...it was someone from the CW. Demons I get, people are crazy. Especially no-talent assclown "developement executives". *eyeroll*
You just keep doing what you're doing, Kurt. SoA is one of the best shows on television & is one of (maybe) 4 shows that I watch religiously.
HEH-HEH, great entry. Proof that the web rattles the powers that be. Remain outspoken, its refreshing. Contemptful network executives take notice.
An honest attitude scares the system AND THAT IS GOOD.
Keep the Web open source and free!
My entire life, I wanted to work out in Hollywood telling great stories. I lasted about a year before I realized that Hollywood is NOT the place to go if you want to tell stories. I remember I was working for a low-line producer, and I told her that the reason I had come out to LA was that I wanted to to fantasy movies what Star Wars had done for Sci-fi. I told her all about the fantastic "Dark Elf Trilogy" and how it would be a great series of movies. She told me I was crazy and that it would never work. 4 years later, Lord of the Rings came out. These people are all idiots. I applaud you for finding a way to work into the system.
Another fine episode with "Potluck". Curious as two why the length was less than 39 mins as oppose to regular ~43 mins
I love your blogs. They are raw and gritty, with a twisted sense of humor thrown in for good measure. Keep that spoon a stirring because life gets a bit too fucking predictable without a good pot stirrer!
Kurt,
I want to say thank you for holding up a mirror to those fools and making them see themselves for what they and what they could be. It is so much easier for someone to look out the window and blame the world for their lot in life than to look in the mirror and take responsibility and control their own destiny.
Hey Kurt,
I have been reading the comments to your blog and it seems as though there is some concern about SOA not being picked up for a third season. It there any valididy to that or are, we, your fans freaking out over nothing?
Thanks for not being an opinionless, mindless zombie.
Networks have for the most part been playing (and producing) for the lowest common denominator for a while now. The industry gets called on it's bullshit and they know that we know. Guys like you, you can change the idealogy. You have already raised the bar, now all that's left is to make that an accepted standard.
Keep on keeping on.
Kutter I am you most devoted fan! Keep up the good work! Katey needs to win an emmy!!
I think she was making a play for you to save her....and/or fold spindle and mutilate
"Or maybe I should just shut the fuck up."
Don't you dare shut the fuck up. How many show writers blog do I read? One - yours. Why? Because it's the only interesting one out there.
I just watched the latest SOA and it was fucking amazing. I'm going to buy the whole thing on Blu Ray not because I really need to but because I live in Europe and I use bittorrent (I HATE waiting for great TV).
I really, really wish the US networks would allow for global video on demand, I'd easily pay 100 USD/month to be able to watch all my favorite shows on demand in HD straight from the network.
Keep on talking and writing! My husband and I are really loving the SOA story - and your writing is so on target - Never stop "stirring the pot."
Citizens never get it.
Hah Kurt, dont stfu, we need people to tell it how it is. Bill Hicks (great comedian) had a big rant on the evils of corporations and mediocrity, and I think it rings true when I read about network executives giving bona fide artists shit. Good on you for giving her stick, sounds like she needed to pull her head in (seriously, hoping someone dies is out of line)
-D
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