Four Inane Questions with director Brian Vincent

Brian Vincent. // Courtesy Heather Spore

It’s a homecoming of sorts for film director—and Raytown native—Brian Vincent, who tells us he’s thrilled to be coming home to Kansas City to screen his hit indie documentary, Make Me Famous. The film—which has been steadily showing in NYC for the past six months—will premiere here at the Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art on January 12 at 7 p.m. and January 14 at 2 p.m. (Vincent tells us the filmmakers will be in attendance for post-screening Q & A’s.)

Vincent has a storied career in the arts. He studied theater at Emporia State University before being accepted into the acting program of The Juilliard School and has gone on to perform in theater, TV, and movies over the years, including Black Dog with Patrick Swayze.  

Over the past couple of years, Vincent shifted his focus to directing and editing. He spearheaded the aforementioned feature documentary alongside his Broadway actress-spouse-turned-producer, Heather Spore. The film shines a spotlight on the über-creative 1980s downtown art scene in NYC, which propelled the careers of artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. 

Vincent became fascinated with an artist from that era who didn’t make it to stardom, Edward Brezinski.

“Make Me Famous isn’t a typical artist biopic, but a unique way to experience the thrill of what it was like to be a striving artist in that popular era,” he says. (Fun fact: the film has garnered plenty of accolades, including an impressive 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.)

To kick off the new year, we pinged the director/editor with our litany of lame-o questions. Like any good, over-the-top performer, he went above and beyond answering ‘em. He gets our first gold star of 2024. Bless.  

The Pitch: Ketchup is banned. What are you dipping your fries in?

Brian Vincent: Shakes. Strawberry, banana, or maybe a peanut butter shake. My aunt taught me this when I was four. Fries always go with shakes. The saltier the fries, the tastier the shake. 

Thick fries dipped in a soft-serve vanilla shake from Dairy Queen? Count me in. Thin fries dipped in frothy cookies and cream? Yes, please. Or how about curly fries with a classic chocolate malt? As they say in NYC, “Fuhgeddaboudit!” 

If you were an amphibian, what amphibian would you be?   

Poison dart frog. I love their neon-painted skin. They live in warm climates, sleep all night, and, most appealing, shoot poison darts. I mean, that’s really the reason I’m picking them. 

Hold on, I’m researching this further and I’m seeing that they don’t actually shoot poison darts, but rather that their poison is used on darts. Hmmmm, I’m liking this less. Still, I’ll stick with them because they can kill, have pretty rockin’ frog bodies, and dazzling colors that look good anywhere they hop.

What’s the worst purchase you’ve ever made—either accidentally or on purpose?

I bought a rug for a girl I was crazy about on her birthday. It was our first year of dating. Somehow, I thought it would be a good idea to buy her an 8 x 10 faux Persian rug. I wrapped it as a gift, then walked it up five flights of stairs to her NYC apartment. She took one look at my present and said, “I hope that’s not a rug.” 

I say, “You hope it’s not a rug?” She opens it. Yep, a rug. I unrolled it, hoping she might (at least) like the design. She looked at me seriously, “I do not want a rug for my birthday, especially one that I didn’t pick out.” I took the rug back. (Luckily, she eventually married me.)

What song can you sing better than any other human—alone in your shower?

I can sing no song better than any other human. When I sing, people look angry. That is why I act and make documentaries, etc.

But alone in my shower? I can sing a heartfelt “Sweet Caroline” in a way that (sometimes) gives me chills. Around then is usually when I hear my cat hissing for me to shut up.

Bonus 5th Question: What’s a phobia you may or may not have a mild case of?

Fear of sneezing! I don’t like to hear them. I tend to recoil. 

It might have something to do with when I was a kid. A dentist had my mouth pried open with a device so he could work without me fidgeting. There was a nurse in the room assisting him. Suddenly, the dentist gave a look like he was about to sneeze. His hands were full of instruments, so he couldn’t cover his mouth. He turned his head back, but the nurse was directly behind him, so he whipped his head back towards me and let it rip. Somebody get me a psychiatrist, quick!