Clay Tarver is a writer and co-executive producer for HBO’s “Silicon Valley," but he recently reunited with his bandmates in the group Chavez to record their first new music in 20 years; there may be a more diverse roster of actor and actress nominees for the Academy Awards this year, but that doesn’t mean #OscarsSoWhite is a thing of the past, says April Reign, the writer and activist who coined the hashtag.
#OscarsSoWhite is definitely not canceled
The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite took off in 2016 when — for the second consecutive year — every single nominated actor and actress was white.
Just a year later, a Mashable writer has declared the hashtag "canceled," sparking Internet outrage.
The creator of #OscarsSoWhite, April Reign, is a writer and activist, and the managing editor of BroadwayBlack.com. She says though Hollywood has made progress as far as inclusivity, she cautions people who want to "cancel" #OscarsSoWhite and stresses that the hashtag is about "all marginalized communities."
Where are the films that show the Latino/Latina experience? Or the films that focus on the LGBTQIA community? There's still a lot of work to be done, despite the fact that we have a lot of great films this year — "Fences," "Loving," "Hidden Figures," "Moonlight," and so on.
Reign joined The Awards Show Show co-hosts Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com and the Frame's John Horn to talk about how the hashtag started and its continued relevance.
Conversation Highlights
On #OscarsSoWhite being "canceled":
It's very presumptive that it's occurring, and not only because we haven't even seen the nominations yet, so we can't know what's going to happen. But also because one year does not fix a problem that has been going on for over 80. There has been an increase in the number of films that reflect the black experience. However with respect to people of color overall, with respect to marginalized communities, which is what #OscarsSoWhite is all about, it's still been a relatively poor year.
On creating #OscarsSoWhite and making your voice heard:
I was a moviegoer who was watching the nominations and was frustrated with the homogeneity of the nominations in both the acting and the filmmaking categories. And that's it. I took to Twitter to vent my frustration. So there really is something to be said for using the platform that you have. I have a huge amount of followers now on Twitter that I did not have two years ago, but I think that if your voice is strong, if you have the facts to back you up, if you have the passion to speak about particular issues, you can make a difference.
On the impact of the hashtag so far:
[The British Film Academy has] made significant changes in two of their categories, introducing requirements to ensure that the movies in those categories are reflective of society and really speak to those who have been traditionally underrepresented in the filmmaking community. I'm hopeful that other awards organizations take this under advisement when they're making changes to how they view and vote for films. It’s a very encouraging start and I don’t see why the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, our Oscars, couldn’t do something very similar if they wanted to.
How 'Silicon Valley' writer Clay Tarver balances screenwriting, rockin' out and parenting
It’s one thing to have a career with an acclaimed rock band. And it’s quite another to be a writer and producer on one of TV’s hottest shows.
Clay Tarver has done both.
Tarver is a writer and co-executive producer for the HBO series, “Silicon Valley.” But he recently revived another part of his creative life — the rock group, Chavez. The four-piece outfit was formed in 1993 and helped pioneer a style of hard rock that combined complex rhythms and angular melodies.
But, for a variety of reasons, the band was put on hold and Tarver, a guitarist and singer for the group, went on to his writing career. The band recently got back together, however, to record a 3-song EP titled “Cockfighters.” It’s their first new music in 20 years.
When he recently joined us in studio, Tarver started by explaining why he kept his musical past hidden from his kids.
Interview Highlights:
On why he kept his career as a rock 'n' roller private:
It's not that you can't play rock when you have kids, but I couldn't. So I noticed that every time there was a musical moment, I would quickly avoid it. Or every time some dad at a pre-school would want to "jam," I would do whatever I could to not experience that. I just got weirder and weirder about it. Finally, Matador Records had this big 21st anniversary thing in Las Vegas and I decided, I gotta tell them. And, of course, they already knew.
On how the new Chavez EP came together:
Once life got complicated, we would always get back together and write stuff and play together. And occasionally play a show. At a certain point we just decided we can't play any more shows until we have new material. So the last two years I really made it my mission. I was like, If I don't get some of these songs out... I needed to at least get these three songs out and we did. And they're actually sort of representative of [our history]. One song is from probably 1997, another one is from 2001, and one is from the last rehearsal we had. And we have like seven or eight more. But these were the songs that we decided to do this time.
On working in screenwriting after being in the music industry:
First of all, I worked with really interesting people — very smart, cool, great people. So that was always good. I was lucky in that way. I thought, Wait, you're going to pay me whether you make the movie or not? This sounds great. And then after a while, you just got really tired of working on stuff that only [a few] people would read. At one point, my kids [asked], Dad, do you write movies? I was like, Well, I write some movies. Mostly, I write big stacks of paper. It's weird how to complete the process of doing anything creative, it does need to reach someone or you start to get really weird. Playing music is such a direct, visceral connection. Screenwriting is like writing blueprints for a building you hope gets built.
On why Silicon Valley's do-no-harm motto made it the perfect target for satire:
It's so ripe for making fun of [the characters] because they're these really ruthless capitalists at the heart. But it's all shrouded in this sense of making the world a better place. So they think, As long as we say that and believe it, then we'll get away with all the capitalism stuff. So the fact that no one had really called them all on this was the great opportunity of the show. It was also just really fun and part of what's going on in our world.
Chavez' new EP, "Cockfighters," is available Jan. 13.