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Staff Profile: Lindsay Gibb, E-Reserves & Learning Zone Technician |
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For our first staff profile feature we'd like to introduce you to Lindsay, who you may have met in the Learning Zone or on the circulation desk (you might recognize her by her amazing blue and pink hair). She is our E-Reserves and Learning Zone Technician and also an accomplished writer, editor, and journalist. While working full-time, Lindsay managed to write a book about Nicolas Cage that the National Post called one of the best of 2015 (#86 on this list)!
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| National Treasure: Nicolas Cage takes a look at why Cage is so divisive, why the haters are wrong, and why he is one of the greatest actors alive. How did she do it? And why? :) We asked Lindsay some questions about her work, her book, and her obsession with Nic Cage. | |
What made you want to write a book about Nicolas Cage?
I had developed an affection for him. There were a lot of factors in that (the unforgettable characters he created at the forefront) but it was solidified because I'd heard many people say he was a bad actor, or that he'd always been in bad movies, and I'd seen him in so many good roles, so I was baffled by why so many people thought this.
Then I saw a retrospective of his work at TIFF's Bell Lightbox and, when it was over, was inspired to start my own Nicolas Cage film festival club. I'd been running that club for about a year when I heard about ECW Press' Pop Classics series. ECW was looking for pitches from writers who wanted to write about their pop cultural obsessions and I thought Nicolas Cage's duality and divisiveness made him a great subject. Luckily for me, ECW agreed.
Can you explain Nicolas Cage to the skeptical in three words and/or three sentences?
He is everyone.
(By that I mean he’s a diverse actor who can take on any role. People may think the memes are making fun of Nicolas Cage but he has become a meme because he is such an effective actor. He can become anything, and audiences can believe him as anything, which is why most of the Nic Cage memes focus on putting his face on other people, animals and objects.)
Can you describe your job at the OCAD U library? You were previously a journalist and editor, how does your role at OCAD inform your writing/journalism work, and vice versa?
I am the e-Reserves and Learning Zone Technician which means I work both in the Library and the Learning Zone. In the Library I process digital readings for courses and put them on Canvas and in the Learning Zone I catalogue zines and do other ziney things.
Before joining the staff at OCAD U I was the editor of Broken Pencil magazine (a magazine about zines and independent arts). My work in the zine library is the work that is most clearly informed by my extensive work with zines as a creator, teacher and critic: I help students with zine making projects and categorize zines, a medium that often defies categorization. A lot of the readings I digitize for courses, and reading I do from the library collection (including the zines), inspires me. I’m attracted to words, so working with and around them is the best.
How did you find the time to write this book and also work full time?!
Evenings, weekends and some of my vacation time. I'm pretty used to fitting other projects in with my full time work (I was previously a senior writer for a magazine full-time while editing another magazine on the side). I like to be busy.
Lastly, we need to know...what is your favourite Nicolas Cage movie and why?
It's a toss-up between Vampire's Kiss and Wild at Heart.
Vampire's Kiss is from early in his career, and it's a film about a man who is slowly losing his mind, so the opportunity to blur fantasy and reality in the character's life gave Cage so much room to stretch his experimental acting chops. He goes really big with this role, and it's fantastic.
Wild at Heart is an example of Cage going a little smaller, or more realistic, in a David Lynch film where everyone else is really big. This and Moonstruck are two of his most passionate roles, and there's a lot to love about it. His chemistry with Laura Dern is a big part of why I love this film so much.
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If you want to read more, we, of course, have Lindsay’s book available at the library…check it out!
