Spike Jonze

Infobox Actor
name = Spike Jonze

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imagesize = 240px
caption = Jonze holding a producer credit for "The 1 Second Film" in October 2004
birthname = Adam Spiegel
birthdate = birth date and age|1969|10|22
location = Rockville, Maryland
spouse = Sofia Coppola (1999-2003)
academyawards =
cesarawards =
goldenglobeawards =

Spike Jonze (born Adam Spiegel October 22, 1969) is an American director of music videos and commercials, and an Academy Award-nominated director and producer in film and television, most notably the 1999 film "Being John Malkovich" and the 2002 film "Adaptation.", both written by Charlie Kaufman. He is also credited as a co-creator of MTV's "Jackass".

Biography

Early life

Jonze was born Adam Spiegel in Rockville, Maryland, and raised in Bethesda, Maryland. His father, Arthur Spiegel III, was a distant relation of the Spiegel catalog family and founded APM Management Consultants. His mother, Sandy Granzow, is a writer ("Our Dream: A World Free of Poverty", Oxford University Press and the World Bank), communications consultant in developing countries, and artist (MFA, School of Visual Arts, 2007). [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/48/Spike-Jonze.html Spike Jonze Biography (1969-) ] ] His brother Sam (aka Squeak E. Clean) is a producer and DJ. Jonze attended Walt Whitman High School.

Jonze fronted Club Homeboy, an international BMX club, with Mark "Lew" Lewman and Andy Jenkins, both co-editors of "Freestylin' Magazine" in the mid- to late 1980s. The three also created the youth culture magazines "Homeboy" and "Dirt" (the latter of which was described as "Sassy Magazine" for boys"). Jonze was interviewed in "Joe Kid on a Stingray," the 2006 documentary on the history of BMX.

Career

In 2006, he was nominated by the Directors Guild of America for "Outstanding Achievement in Commercials in 2005." He was nominated for a body of work that included "Hello Tomorrow" for Adidas, "Penguin" for Miller Beer, and "Pardon Our Dust" for The Gap. He was a producer and co-creator of MTV television series "Jackass" and "", also directing some of the segments. Jonze has acted in some videos and films; his most prominent role was in "Three Kings" as the sweet, dimwitted, casually racist Conrad, in which he was directed by friend David O. Russell.

Jonze was also a co-founder and editor of "Dirt" magazine along with Mark Lewman and Andy Jenkins, as well as an editor for "Grand Royal Magazine" and senior photographer for Transworld Skateboarding. In the past, Jonze shot skateboard videos, most notably Blind skateboard company's "Video Days" in 1991. He also co-directed the Girl Skateboards film "Yeah Right!" and the Chocolate Skateboards video "Hot Chocolate". In the closing credits montage of "Yeah Right!" Spike is shown doing a nollie heelflip in loafers. He is also co-owner of Girl Skateboards.

Jonze has many alter egos, which have included Richard Koufey (alternately spelled Coufey or Couffe), the leader of the Torrance Community Dance Group, an urban troupe that performs in public spaces. The Koufey persona appeared when Jonze, in character, filmed himself dancing to Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" as it played on a boombox in a public area. Spike showed the video to Slim, who loved it. Jonze then assembled a group of dancers to perform to Slim's "Praise You," which was taped outside a Westwood, California movie theater. The resulting clip was a huge success, and 'Koufey' and his troupe were invited to New York City to perform the song for the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards. The video received awards for Best Direction, Breakthrough, and Best Choreography, which Jonze accepted, still in character. Jonze made a mockumentary about the experience called "Torrance Rises".

He also has a speaking part along with Dave Eggers in a Beck song entitled The Horrible Fanfare / Landslide / Exoskeleton from his 2006 album, The Information. He appears in the "Exoskeleton" bit.

Currently, Jonze is directing "Where the Wild Things Are", which is now in its post-production stages.

Personal life

Jonze was an avid BMX freestyle rider in his youth. As part of the famous Rockville BMX crew he was known for making fast friends with touring BMX teams that came to town, befriending riders and often touring with them for short periods afterwards. He eventually landed a sponsored ride with Haro Bikes and received limited fame as a BMX personality appearing in many BMX publications such as "Freestylin"'. He was featured in an early-1990s "Spike-Needs-A-Girlfriend" contest in Christina Kelly's 'What Now' column in "Sassy Magazine". His requirements for a girlfriend were: "short hair, clear skin, and good teeth." He is now dating Michelle Williams.

On June 26, 1999, Jonze married director Sofia Coppola, whom he had known for nearly ten years. On December 5, 2003, the couple filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." The character of John, a career-driven photographer (Giovanni Ribisi) in Coppola's "Lost In Translation" (2003), was rumored to be based on Jonze, though Coppola has vehemently denied this.

Filmography

Recent documentaries

From the May 2005 coverage of "Dave Eggers and friends" [ [http://voice.paly.net/view_story.php?id=3004 Paly Voice: "Dave Eggers and friends" blends humor, politics, and literature into an excellent performance ] ] held at Stanford University: Two short documentaries were presented, one of which was filmed and directed by Spike Jonze.

The first video, directed by Jonze, was a 10-15 minute documentary on Al Gore, filmed shortly before the 2000 election. Eggers insisted that if the video, which portrayed a day in the life of Al Gore and his family, had aired during the Democratic National Convention as it was supposed to, there would have been different results in the 2000 presidential election. As of January 2006, "Untitled Al Gore Documentary" [http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=46915] [ [http://www.wholphindvd.com/issues/w1/gore.html highlights ] ] has been finally made available to the public.

The second video was another politically themed documentary, by Jonze's friend and director David O. Russell. The video was about the phenomenon of soldiers in Iraq raiding houses and stealing money or goods they found inside. The soldiers, who were arrested, wanted to give a full confession and Jonze was given the opportunity to create a short film about the subject.

Jonze will appear in the "making of" documentary that accompanies the credits of The 1 Second Film of which he is also a producer.

Music videos

*"High in High School" by Chainsaw Kittens (1992)
*"100%" by Sonic Youth (1992)
*"Cannonball" by The Breeders (1993) (co-directed by Kim Gordon, produced by Steve Reiss)
*"Country at War" by X (1993)
*"Daughters of the Kaos" by Luscious Jackson (1993)
*"Hang On" by Teenage Fanclub (1993)
*"Time for Livin'" by the Beastie Boys (1993)
*"All About Eve" by Marxman (1994)
*"Buddy Holly" by Weezer (1994)
*"Ditch Digger" by Rocket from the Crypt (1994)
*"Divine Hammer" by The Breeders (1994)
*"Feel the Pain" by Dinosaur Jr. (1994)
*"I Can't Stop Smiling" by Velocity Girl (1994)
*"If I Only Had a Brain" by MC 900 Ft. Jesus (1994)
*"Old Timer" by That Dog (1994)
*"Ricky's Theme" by Beastie Boys (1994)
*"Sabotage" by Beastie Boys (1994) (also writer)
*"Sure Shot" by Beastie Boys (1994)
*"Undone (The Sweater Song)" by Weezer (1994)
*"California" by Wax (1995)
*"Car Song" by Elastica (1995)
*"Crush with Eyeliner" by R.E.M. (1995)
*"Freedom of '76" by Ween (1995)
*"It's Oh So Quiet" by Björk (1995)
*"The Diamond Sea" by Sonic Youth (1995)
*"Who Is Next?" by Wax (1995)
*"Drop" by The Pharcyde (1996)
*"Da Funk" by Daft Punk (1997)
*"Electrolite" by R.E.M. (1997)
*"Elektrobank" by The Chemical Brothers (1997)
*"It's All About the Benjamins (Rock Remix)" by Puff Daddy (1997)
*"Liberty Calls" by Mike Watt (1997)
*"Shady Lane" by Pavement (1997)
*"Sky's the Limit" by The Notorious B.I.G. (1997)
*"Home (Sean Lennon song)" by Sean Lennon (1998)
*"Praise You" by Fatboy Slim (credited to "Torrance Public Film Productions") (1998)
*"Root Down" (version 2) by Beastie Boys (1998)
*"The Rockafeller Skank" (version 1) by Fatboy Slim (1998)
*"Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim (2000)
*"What's Up, Fatlip?" by Fatlip (2000)
*"Wonderboy" by Tenacious D (as Marcus Von Bueler) (2000)
*"Island in the Sun" (Version 2) by Weezer (2002)
*"It's in Our Hands" by Björk (2002)
*"Big Brat" by Phantom Planet (2003)
*"Get Back" by Ludacris (2004)
*"Y Control" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2004)
*"Triumph of a Heart" by Björk (2005)
*"Blessed Evening" by Foetus (2005) (cinematographer only, directed by Karen O)
*"Flashing Lights" by Kanye West (2008) (co-directed with West)

Video

*"Ciao L.A." (director) (1994)
*"An Intimate Look Inside the Acting Process with Ice Cube" (director) (1999)
*"What's Up, Fatlip?" (director) (2003)
*"" (director) (2003)
*"The Mystery of Dalarö" (director) (2004)
*"Corporate Ghost" (actor, director) (2004)
*"Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow" (cinematographer) (2004)

Film

*"Mi Vida Loca" (actor) (1993)
*"Pig!" (actor) (1996)
*"How They Get There" (writer, director) (1997)
*"The Game" (actor) (1997)
*"Amarillo by Morning" (director) (1998)
*"Free Tibet" (cinematographer) (1998)
*"Being John Malkovich" (director) (1999)
*"Three Kings" (actor) (1999)
*"Torrance Rises" (actor, director, choreographer) (1999)
*"Human Nature" (producer) (2001)
*"Adaptation." (director) (2002)
*"" (producer, featured) (2002)
*"Keep Your Eyes Open" (actor) (2002)
*"" (producer, featured) (2006)
*"The 1 Second Film" (producer/appearing) (2009)
*"Where the Wild Things Are" (director) (2009)
*"Ripley's Believe It or Not!" (director) (2009) (in talks)

Television

*"Jackass" (creator, executive producer) (2000)
*"Sonic Youth Video Dose" (actor) (2004)

kate videos

*"Rubbish Heap" for SMA World Industries (1989)
*"Video Days" for Blind (1991)
*"Mouse" (executive producer, director) (1996)
*"Yeah Right!" (executive producer, director) (2003)
*"Hot Chocolate!" (, director) (2004)
*"The Krooked Chronicles" (director, producer, cameo) (2006)
*"Fully Flared" for Lakai (2007)

References

ee also

* Directors Label, co-founded with Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry

External links

*imdb name|id=0005069|name=Spike Jonze
* [http://the1secondfilm.com/producer/819 Spike Jonze Producer Profile on The 1 Second Film website]
* [http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:293405 All Movie Guide entry for Spike Jonze]
* Commercials at [http://www.mjz.com MJZ]
* [http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/movies/features/1267/ Spike Jonze unmasked]
* [http://www.directorslabel.com/ DirectorsLabel.com] , co-founded with Chris Cunningham and Michel Gondry
* [http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt970905spike_jonze KCRW's The Treatment: Spike Jonze]
*"Spike Jonze Unmasked" article from New York Magazine [http://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/features/1267/]
*Henry Keazor, Thorsten Wübbena: " [http://www.vttrs.de Video Thrills The Radio Star. Musikvideos: Geschichte, Themen, Analysen] ". Bielefeld 2007, p. 175ff., p. 182ff., p.232ff., p. 277ff.