George

I feel sad because my former film teacher George Kuchar died yesterday. He died of prostrate cancer at age 69. I was hoping we'd have him around for a lot longer than that. George was indescribable, but I'll try. He was both fun and funny yet serious and committed to his art. He was earthy yet alien, passionate yet detached, worldly yet innocent. That's not a very good description, but he was one of the most unpretentious people I ever met and one of the nicest. He was originally from the Bronx where he and his twin brother Mike made a name for themselves in NYC's underground film scene with their kooky campy kitschy hilarious yet poignant "pictures" -- as George used to call them.

It was fun and exciting to take a class from him at the San Francisco Art Institute. You never knew what you'd end up doing. You'd find yourself behind a camera, improvising dramatic lighting effects, putting together bizarre costumes, designing makeshift scenery or performing in front of the camera in outrageous scenes with ridiculous over-the-top dialogue. I learned a lot from him, but mostly I learned not to take myself too seriously and how to work creatively in the moment with found materials. He made the classes come to life with his contagious enthusiasm. I'll miss him.