Opposite Day

Dinner Destination: Downtown Los Angeles. Little Tokyo to be exact. After having our fill of spicy sushi rolls and pitchers of Kirin my friend Erica, her gentleman caller and I decide to meet up with his friends at the Barbara's at the Brewery a few minutes away. I love going to the Brewery, a section of Downtown Los Angeles that happens to be one of the largest artist colonies in the world. Lofts and art spaces galore. (Upon arrival Erica and I were drawn by the pretty glow of a light installation in one of the warehouses).

We met up with the guys at Barbara's (bar/restaurant) where I (literally) bump into Wren. He's on his way toward the patio armed with a cigar, a glass of Scotch, his iPod and a copy of Paul Arden's "Whatever You Think Think the Opposite". Wren lives upstairs (he's lived at the Brewery for about 4 years now) so he often comes down to hang out.

Wren was having a conversation with friends where this particular book came up in conversation so he decided to go out and buy a copy. Paul Arden used to be the creative director at Saatchi & Saatchi (our ears perk because Erica and I are familiar with the agency). This lead us to segue into a conversation about the AMC show, Mad Men. "Paul Arden was their Don Draper." This book is about turning everything on their heads. Plain and simple, whatever you are told to believe, believe the complete opposite.

Wren explains that he is a filmmaker and a musician. He's made music videos and commercials so he understands how it is when creative minds and worlds collide. "This book is great because and we need to get into a habit of turning things upside down. People have a lazy habit of thinking, never questioning, and we need to break out of that habit. Not everything we are fed and told is necessarily correct. Lots of great aphorisms that one can read and sit with for a bit before moving on."

Another great book recommendation is Friedrich Nietzsche's "Human, All Too Human", a book with many short thoughts and perfect to deconstruct. Wren is also a fan of Chomsky especially his work that states the only thing we're responsible for are predictable of our actions. "We have a hard time simplifying but we have to. When I read that I thought, "Fuck, that's it!" It's become his mantra, to simplify, not overthink.

His best friend in New York has recently recommended Snow by Turkish writer, Orham Pamuk. "It's good so far, a work of fiction, and I believe it has won a Nobel Prize. Very well-written. I wish I could get through it quicker but my reading time is very limited." When he's not reading books Wren enjoys reading The New Yorker and the Scientific American.


I asked him about his reading habits. Wren admits that he is not a fast reader at all and we all admitted we were the same way. "I also don't read silently. One of my favourite books is Ulysses by James Joyce. I've read it several times and I've felt that it one one of those books that is meant to be read out loud. I read scripts often and reading something aloud gives you a sense and feeling for the material. Articulating words in your mind is different from when you recite them. Plus, my mind tends to wander so I like to hear the words. I especially do this when I read poetry. The author has a voice and you want to hear it."

Growing up he enjoyed reading the Freddy the Pig detectice series. Around the 7th grade he got his hands on Les Miserables. "I felt like I was very snooty for reading it". This triggered the memory of my interview with Keith who got in trouble for reading Hard Times as a child.

If he were to write his own book? "I could easily say that it would be a book about relationships and long walks through the mountains or something autobiographical, like many first novels. However I'd like my book to be about somebody trying to find the right way to do things in order for the outcome to be positive and productive. The conflict will revolve around how the world is conspiring against us so the protagonist must find a way around these obstacles."

Wren has been writing in a journal since he was 17. Our conversation slips down this path about our journal writing habits. "Periods vary. I can find myself writing all the time then you will see posts few and far between. We all tend to write alot when we are upset, when our emotions are running high. I currently have an electronic journal simply called 'The Weather'. Entries are short like 'It was nice today'. A quick summation. That's all we really need."