This article appears in the August 2011 issue of LouisvilleMagazine. To subscribe, please visit loumag.com.
Occupation? “This could be tricky: citizen of Louisville, film producer, record label owner, ‘green’ building developer.”
Bardstown Road, Frankfort Avenue or Market Street? “East Market Street, natch!”
Earliest childhood memory? “At four, standing up in the back of our Dodge Dart (no seatbelts then), bringing my little sister home from the hospital. At five, being driven to kindergarten while listening to ‘Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head’ and thinking how funny the song about the ‘guy whose feet are too big for his bed’ was.”
What song’s been stuck in your head lately? “‘As Bright as Your Night Light,’ by Nerves Junior. We just ‘pre-released’ it to the blogs ahead of our September album release. Great new Louisville band.”
When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? “Archaeologist. Mainly because it was the biggest word I knew how to spell and it seemed full of adventure.”
The weirdest place somebody has recognized you in public? “On the bank of Lake Victoria in a tiny Kenyan town. Having not seen a Westerner or Caucasian for about two weeks, I spotted a white guy walking my way saying, ‘Gill, is that you?’ A decade earlier I had been an Eagle Scout in Davidson, N.C., and it was the little brother of one of my fellow Boy Scouts from back home.”
What Louisville band would you pay to see? “I would have loved to have seen the Louisville Orchestra perform the Martha Graham piece in 1950 that Time called an ‘eye-popper.’”
Your drink? “Daytime: Rooibee Red Tea. Nighttime: Woodford Reserve and soda water.”
Best Louisville bar? “The Back Door. Don’t let its Mid-City Mall location fool you.”
Local sports team? “Since the Derby City Rec Center tennis team only exists in our film Tan Lines, I will give kudos to U of L’s men’s soccer team for making it to the NCAA finals last year.”
Louisville date spot? “I’m looking forward to a romantic stroll along the Big Four Bridge.”
All-time favorite Derby winner? “Still waiting for my horse to come in.”
Derby or Oaks? “This year I thought the Thursday before both was really fun. Not sure that Thursday has a name yet.”
If forced to get a tattoo today, what would you get? “A fleur-de-lis.”
Last live performance you saw in Louisville? “Cheyenne Marie Mize in front of Shine Yoga during the First Friday Trolley Hop.”
Best book you’ve read over the past year? “I’m reading a lot of Pippi Longstocking to my kids these days. Astrid Lindgren sure had it going on!”
Can’t-miss TV show? “Peep and the Big Wide World is great for children, with a theme song by Taj Mahal and Joan Cusack narrating.”
Fill in the blank: “____________’s Louisville” should be the next banner on a building. “Hunter S. Thompson. Or Gonzo.”
If Actors Theatre staged a production about your life, what would it be called? “He Really Just Wanted To Be Lazy and Hang Out With Friends.”
Where do you go to be alone?
“Mountain biking in Cherokee Park.”
What makes somebody a Louisvillian? “A Jefferson County resident who is an engaged citizen. Or I guess anybody in the world who has a fleur-de-lis tattoo!”
