The Skinny on... Bryan M Ferguson

It doesn’t take long to spot you’re watching a Bryan M Ferguson joint. Whether it’s one of his gnarly dramas featuring satanic rituals and amputation, one of his black comedies about parasites and heavy-handed barbers, or one of his inventive music videos for the likes of Arab Strap and Alice Glass, you can spot his visual motifs instantly.

If you’re unfamiliar with this most original of filmmakers, we urge you to make it along to our CineSkinny Film Club at Summerhall and CCA this month where we’ll be showcasing some of Ferguson’s most recent short films and music videos along with a few of our favourites of his earlier work. 

Ahead of the screenings we caught up with Ferguson to submit him to our regular Q&A, which this month features J.G. Ballard, the colour yellow and Vincent Gallo.

What’s your favourite place to visit?
Florida. It’s like a second home to me and I think it’s because there’s a lot of dark seedy shit going on and it’s painted over with a candy-coloured brush. There’s a real false sense of paradise that resonates with me.

Favourite colour?
Yellow. I guess it’s because it’s a colour you don’t generally see anywhere in Glasgow. Not even from the sun.

Who was your hero growing up?
Sam Raimi.

Whose work inspires you now?
I’m not really sure – I find Panos Cosmatos [Mandy, Beyond the Black Rainbow] to be one of the most exciting filmmakers in recent times. But I’m still more inspired by the work of filmmakers from when I grew up (Hitchcock, Godard, Carpenter, Raimi etc).

What's your favourite food to cook?
For a guy that comes from an Italian family, I really can’t cook for shit. I’m good at doing steak but anything beyond a microwave bing, I’m pish.

What three people would you invite to your dinner party and what are you cooking?
Bill Hicks, Anthony Bourdain and Lydia Lunch. It doesn’t matter what I’m cooking because two of them are dead and I’ll likely cancel the plans anyway.

What’s your all-time favourite album?
I’ve never been an album guy. I usually like a handful of songs from an album but never the album in its entirety and even then I usually dig the B-sides more.

What’s the worst film you’ve ever seen?
There’s so much shite but off the top of my head... Joker was pish. Anything Christopher Nolan spews into the world.

What book would you take to a desert island?
Crash by J.G. Ballard.

Who’s the worst?
The Tories.

When did you last cry?
Inwardly crying all the time.

What are you most scared of?
Anything hairy with too many legs.

When did you last vomit and why?
I made myself vomit after seeing Last Night in Soho just so I could feel something.

Tell us a secret?
They’re in the crawl space.

Which celebrity could you take in a fight?
Vincent Gallo.

If you could be reincarnated as an animal, which animal would it be?
A raccoon.

Describe your filmmaking practice in three words…
Never ask permission.

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The CineSkinny Film Club presents the transgressive short films of Bryan M Ferguson

Summerhall, Edinburgh, 13 Oct, 6.30pm – tickets here; CCA, Glasgow (w/ director Q+A), 25 Oct, 8.30pm – tickets here