For a big WEDDING scene Bye Bye Indie (Man oh man. The guy sells out for fame and fortune only to be overshadowed by Rupert mania. That's so brutal I can't even revel in it!) |
Iggy's conceptualization of Clyde |
Dermot's recent romantic comedies have inspired new fans and renewed
old interests. Ray Golden (raygolden1@comcast.net) sends the actor his
best.
Dermot "was our goalie on the Rosemont Spurs soccer team. He may remember me - I hung out with him and Prescott Barbash. I was in music class in the 4th grade playing clarinet when Dermot played cello. Once, when we were behind the Maury School, I found Dermot crying. I approached him to see what was wrong and he told me a dog had been hit. The pain I saw in him inspired me to try becoming a veterinarian!" Ray wound up changing majors. Drop him a line, Dermot, if you're curious about how he turned out! |
MODEST LIVING.
Like all good folk of Iowa farm background, the
Mulroneys spent summer vacations at their place on Cape Cod.
No, wait. To give modesty credit where it's due, someone who spent time
there with the family told me that the kids all slept in a row in a loft.
I love it.
My good bud, the Beantown Pittsqueak, put her backside in great
peril to bring you this report (Yes, yes, yes, I took out all the
identifying stuff and just left the substantial info):
"It's a large, rambling cape-style home [complete with two mean looking
Dobermans barking loudly] with grey shingles and shutters in a quiet
neighborhood of lovely homes that are surrounded by trees, about a block
from one of the nicest beaches on the Cape. I'm sure Derm must have some
wonderful memories of summers spent there."
It's possible Beantown got the wrong house, but I doubt it. Salt water.
Blech. But I *love* the Dobermans. So...mean! You go, Mike! heh heh
SURVIVAL QUEST.
Dermot did his own stunts.
And here's a funny
blast from
the past. Despite what appears to be a liberal slant (note pro-gun
control stance mentioned on E! FEATURES COPYCAT) Dermot did once refer to
his hairstyle in SURVIVAL QUEST as being "as long as a guy's hair should
ever be."
ODD JOBS.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so you know about the window-washing. Well, I hear he
also had a job in a restaurant (bar?) while in college in Illinois and
was a newspaper paper delivery boy in Alexandria.
POPULARITY.
Move over, Kevin Bacon.
Dermot has cornered the networking
market thanks to recidivism. Here's a short list of the folks who have
worked with Derm in some substantial way at least twice (Samantha Mathis
and River Phoenix don't count because they didn't share screen time with
him in AMERICAN QUILT or SILENT TONGUE) (oh, yeah...Catherine Keener
doesn't count, either): Sam Shepard, Tess Harper, Frank Whaley, James
LeGros, Steve Buscemi, Sean Astin, Will Patton, Kyle MacLachlan, Tom
DiCillo, Anjelica Huston, Jennifer
Jason Leigh, Jennifer Connelly, Mary Kay Place (nice catch, Vini!), Megan
Follows (also in SHATTERED with him), Patricia Arquette and...Bon Jovi
(Vinster, you are TOO much). On a lesser note, Vini recently came up with
another recidivist... Michael Booker. BASTARD's wedding guest, TRIGGER's
Derm-shooter.
In a related trend, Dermot has worked with both partners in the following
relationships: Jocelyn Moorhouse and PJ Hogan (directors, AMERICAN QUILT
and WEDDING); Danielle Von Zernick and James Fearnley (no way I spelled
all that right) (Wandaful Wanda and LSO accordian player); and Julie
Cypher and Melissa Etheridge (ARDUOUS MOON, "Place Your Hand").
DERM VS. BRAD
To prove my objectivity and honesty, I hereby publicly acknowledge that
Dermot was a coverboy long before William Bradley was. Specifically, in
the spring of 1987 Derm and Patricia Arquette graced the cover of People
Magazine in conjunction with a story on teen-age pregnancy (the photo was
from DADDY, of course...no Derm content in article). A thousand thanks to
royalgal@vt.edu for remembering this cover and to Vini for inspiring this
tidbit.
SENIOR YEARBOOK.
TC Williams High School Class of 1981. In a
thoroughly-integrated school (roughly 50/50 ratio of black to white), the
skinny little white cello player got elected senior class president. And
he appeared in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, accompanied the ski club on a trip
to Canada, attended Boys State (incredibly competitive academic/leadership
function), and helped decorate the winning senior class float. He might
have some interesting stories to tell about non-functional water fountains
and a flu epidemic that devastated attendance. Also, TC Williams had
recently added 10th graders to its roster and the yearbook mentions the
strife this caused. Kieran Mulroney was a 10th grader the year Dermot was
a senior so he might have been called on to protect little brother a time
or two. Then again, maybe Kieran was already taller.
ALT.FAN.DERMOT-MULRONEY
was created by Vini Wronski in April
1997.
And there was much rejoicing.
IRISH?
The Mulroney children are named Sean, Conor, Dermot,
Kieran
and
Moira. Begorrah! Parents are Michael and Ellen. Mike, Sean and Moira
are lawyers (heavy family attendance at Harvard Law School). Mike is a
tax attorney of some significance (see "Who's Who in America) and once
chaired the school board in Alexandria.
EARL
So Brad Pitt used to have three dogs, Deacon and Maggie and Earl. Later
he speaks of having only Deacon left after a location shoot...he says he
left one of the other dogs with a couple, people he thought were
responsible, and they seemed to have lost the dog. Outrage. And now
DERMOT has a dog named Earl. How odd. Vini's theory: What if Derm and
Cat did lose Brad's dog Earl.. so Derm got another dog Earl, to give back
to Pitt, who then said stuff it. .. hence the 2 dogs of Earl, but now
Derm's dog. arf arf.
Works for me.
Update - is Earl history? Current dogs seem to be Addie and
Trooper. Earl? Earl? Here, boy!
CLUB SUCKER
If you're in the habit of popping in to sip beers with the Brothers
Mulroney, say "Hi" to Dr. Davis for me. "I'm a haute sexy
dominatrix..." (I think PME should open for LSO if they ever play
Mike's stomping grounds in Iowa.)
GRAILS OF DERMDOM
The following are probably the hardest Derm vehicles to get your hands
on:
SOMETIMES THE TRUTH IS ALL YOU GET. What can I tell you?
Either the folks in the national company of RENT are vastly superior to
the boys of the Low and Sweet Orchestra,
or someone at Interscope is a crummy thief. Ummmmmmm. Nut Goodies. But
I digress. Bless ACCESS HOLLYWOOD for running the clips of LSO's first
video, and a pox on that guy from that San Francisco alternative music
video program (SUBCULTURE? Something like that) for not coming through
for me. The question that looms large, of course, is, just how
much is Derm IN that video? If it's a lot...someone is truly
exploiting someone else.
FAMILY PICTURES (miniseries starring Anjelica Huston). In light
of ABC's broadcast on July 6&7 (1997), I've appealed to
LIFETIME (the Derm champs) to compete with their own rebroadcast
of UNCONQUERED.
TOMA: THE DRUG KNOT (aired as a CBS Schoolbreak Special).
Copyright date is 1986, Dermot has a featured role but most
sources will list only David Toma and Tracey Nelson. I suspect
this project gives "those who knew him when" the willies. Behold,
the creature from the spineless lagoon oozing out of the charm
pores. Yours for $100 from Disney's educational division.
Julie Cypher's short, ARDUOUS MOON (keep an eye on Bravo, the Sundance
Channel, or the Independent Film Channel).
CANCELLED LIVES: LETTERS FROM THE INSIDE is officially removed from the
grail list as of 5/2/97. Kudos to Her Majesty Mary the Magnificent for
coming up with a copy.
GREAT MOMENTS IN DERMDOM
THE ACTOR AT HIS BEST
LIVING IN OBLIVION - Kudos to Tom DiCillo, who I'm thinking is the
second-best fimmaker out there (right after Todd Haynes) when I'm not
thinking he's a jerk, for one of those incredible moments of cinema -
the Masked Tear. Wandaful wandaful wandaful.
WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU
King. Yay, hurray! God, I love indie filmmaking. The good parts
include King calling Crasher on the carpet (no small task in a public
restroom), the deepseated, gently-rendered morality in his response to
Little J's inquiry about sleeping with Heather, his perfect touch when
rejecting unwanted sexual advances. What's thrilling about watching
WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU is the heartwarming sense it imparts of how
hard some folks are willing to work to serve your soul. And there's
humor, too. "Can you yell a little louder? YELL A LITTLE LOUDER!"
(And how tempting it is to add Melissa Etheridge to the recidivist
category)
STAYING TOGETHER
Yes yes yes, we're all very impressed by the jump from the stairs. And
Melinda Dillon is definitely our generation's Maureen O'Hara ("Get out
of my sight. GET BACK HERE AND CLEAN UP THIS MESS!"). But the best
part of STAYING TOGETHER, frankly, is the sex. As destructive as
gratuitous sex in films is, that's how enriching sex done right is.
STAYING TOGETHER has two great sexual moments, and Dermot's is the
better one (the other one features Tim Quill and Stockard Channing on a
kitchen floor). oh man oh man oh man.
HEART OF JUSTICE
Behold the psychotic, musical son of a prominent Irish lawyer in a family
where siblings are, um...close. The Mulroney clan must have eaten
Elliott Burgess up with a spoon. This is one of those performances
that tickles you to death and makes you want to sing out from the pile
where you've collapsed in giggles, "Thank you, thank you...that was
GREAT!" Elliott is a well-groomed preppie darling with just a tad too
much intensity in those deep dark eyes, a graceful product of
good-breeding whose supple movements occasionally jerk with the twitch
of the tightly-wound, a sweet but diabolical smoothie whose decreasing
grip on his own calm leads to instant mood swings so hilarious they can
make you snort soda right out your nose. We all had a wonderful
time.
DADDY
This tale of teenage pregnancy includes two fabulous deliveries of
wonderfully-written scenes. "If you're thinking of having a baby
because you're lonely, why don't you try making some friends,
Stacy! WHY DON'T YOU TRY MAKING SOME FRIENDS!" Later, when
Bobby visits the ostracized Stacy in her squalid apartment, her mood
swings and general immaturity lead to yet another confrontation between
them. Stacy escalates the tension by injecting hostile physical
contact. Dermot's repeated "Don't!", combining threat with warning, is
one of the best portraits ever of a male struggling to control his own
violent tendencies.
And on a lighter note, the nightmare sequence is a hoot. Look, it's
Nestor Pyle! And of course, Dermot makes LOTS of music in this
movie.
SAMANTHA
Alas, Martha blows Derm right out of the water. (and the recidivism
thing, geez! The guy playing the musician Dermot grabs the violin from
at the last moment has the same name as a producer on ROSEANNE where
James LeGros made a guest appearance during the 1995-96 season. Kinda
scary to think just how many people I may have pissed off). The
significant thing about SAMANTHA is the soundtrack which boasts Dermot
playing cello in a quartet. Ah, Schtumer's Fifth. There's a four-bar
solo in the middle, no less (8 if it's cut-time).
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
The Brothers Mulroney are unceasingly hilarious, particularly the slide
off the horsey ride, but the film's best moment belongs to Kieran, a
touching dab of pain in reaction to a particularly nasty "shut up."
For even better work by Mulroney recidivist Frank Whaley, check out
UNCONQUERED or the Craig Sheffer vehicle, DESPERATE TRAIL.
THERE GOES MY BABY
He walks, he talks, he sings! Forget THING CALLED LOVE (swell though it
is), the place to hear Dermot play and sing is right here, where Pirate
shares a verse of "Reason to Believe" with girlfriend Sunny. It's sad,
the idiotic desire actors have to abandon juvenile roles. The window
of opportunity for playing such roles is short enough as it is, though
it should be larger, like it used to be. The modern insistence on
having actors be so close in age to the characters they play is shallow
and short-sighted, particularly in youths. Older performers bring
richess to character development whereas younger performers simply
substitute precociousness, which sustains a character for about two
minutes. Anyway, the majority of the best roles are about
high-schoolers, and the ensemble work by the cast of THERE GOES MY BABY
is a wonderous and rare thing...a group effort that feels inclusive
rather than exclusive. This is AMERICAN GRAFFITI with substance (the
"last night of summer" plot is crossed with the WATTS riots).
SIN OF INNOCENCE
Dermot does a wonderful job of bursting into tears in his parents'
bedroom ("Why does it feel like I'm being punished?") and there's
nothing wrong with Megan Follow's work, either...so why do the
performances feel kinda strange?
Because the roles are reversed.
Dermot is playing a girl and Megan is playing a boy (though I doubt
they were aware of it). Think it over.
Anyway, Dermot's really great moment in this flick is also really
simple. He finds a fresh spin for a bit of throw-away humor (a mock
horror reaction to the size of the art lab fee). Enjoy.
SILENT TONGUE
"That paint! That paint was worth a hundred dollars!" My, but
sister-love is a common theme in Derm's movies.
FAMILY PICTURES
Okay, that's it. Three would have been coincidence, but four? FOUR films
where Derm's character is so...attached...to a sister that other
characters comment unfavorably? It's freaking me out. Also of
interest...the younger Mack is, the better Dermot's performance.
CANCELLED LIVES: LETTERS FROM THE INSIDE
Can there be a more valid past-time than problem-solving games? You work
your body, I'll work my mind. As I've mentioned before, it's a bit of a
challenge to figure out which voice is Dermot's (yes yes yes, we're all
very impressed. Yo, MM! If they're all the same, why can't we find
him here? Little help?)
Anyway, here's Vini's best guess:
" How about the one
around 0:09:37 with the 'I fought the law' music in the background?
It's higher than Derm normally talks, but the key
here is to listen to syllable pronunciations.
Note in particular 'Sooner or later, you're gonna end up being
with them.' Later is pronounced late - urr .. very characteristic of
Dermot's rrrrrs. There's a very typical wide vowel in there too,
reminiscent of King, but most of it sounds too young."
Vini wipes the floor with me. I simply cannot compete.
BAD GIRLS
How do I explain this melt-you-into-your-socks performance from a
big-budget piece of Hollywood schlock? I figure he was competing with
James (who was also espsecially stupendous).
CHRONICLING THE GLORY YEARS
ARTICLES AND PHOTO OPS
January 1994 Interview. Steve Buscemi interviews
Dermot.
Jan 14, 1989 TV Guide. Article on UNCONQUERED includes a
couple of Derm pix.
September 28, 1992 People. Review of WHERE THE DAY TAKES YOU
includes Derm photo.
October 1992 US. Cute pic (and nice Catherine praising) on page
11 from JOHNNY SUEDE premiere.
July 1995 Vogue. Nice article on the Lio Trio (keep reading) with
a handsome
pic of Derm.
July 1995 Elle. Article on Dermot and Catherine with a
to-die-for pic of Derm and Cat (the hand on the leg...I'm dying, I'm
dying). (Unceasing thanks to Cheryl Suzuki, Louis-lover extraordinaire
and a darn helpful friend).
A tune about the good old days. The following was inspired by those clever Denny's commercials and the article in Vogue on the stars of LIVING IN OBLIVION (Steve Buscemi, James LeGros and Dermot Mulroney). Sung to the tune of "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?"
THE LIO TRIO LAMENT (or Ode to the Indie Heroes)
(with apologies to the Lovin' Spoonful)
Did you ever have to make up your mind
And choose between three guys that most folks can't find?
To favor just Dermot or Steven or James
How could anybody make up her mind?
Yet I really have to finally decide
To watch only one and let the other two ride
The price of their videos is so very high
That I just can't like them all at one time.
Sometimes I think I like James best
He's so versatile
Just watch John and Skippy,
Then Chad Palomino
And just when I think the musician's the one
Buscemi's going nose to nose with Harvey gun to gun
It makes it
Really hard to make up your mind
To like only one and leave the others behind
Three treasures at one time is almost unkind
How could anybody make up his mind?
INSERT CHARMING LITLE MUSICAL BRIDGE HERE
I think of all they do for me
Ed tugs my heartstrings
Crasher really slays me
I'd sell it all for King
And that brings up something
That adds to my woes
They keep turing up in the very same shows!
It makes it
Really hard to make up your mind
To watch only one and let the others' work slide
I guess I'll ask Catherine, Christina and Jo
Won't you help me please to finally decide?
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