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The Art Show

'I remember waiting for the bus in fourth grade, early in the morning ... you know, you have to go to school so early. I remember just thinking: 'All I want to do in life is to not ever have to wear a tie, and to be able to sleep late.'  
The reverend Richard
Slacker with a work ethic
Planning and instinct
Find out more
 
Richard Linklater and Ben Lewis   Linklater: St Richard of Austin  
The reverend Richard  
 

Linklater's 1991 debut Slacker made him the icon of a new generation that refused to buy into consumer society. Since then, he has secured his cult status with a series of films that are often shot in his home town of Austin, Texas and feature friends and neighbours, both as actors and characters. In 2003, Linklater ventured into the mainstream with the family film The School of Rock, but his new project is very much a return to the art-indie ethos: an animated version of a Philip K Dick sci-fi story, A Scanner Darkly. A Scanner Darkly does however feature Hollywood stars, including Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, who are apparently keen to waive their usual fees for a chance to work with Linklater.

So why is Richard so revered? And what motivates him? Can it really be the slacker within?

'I don't strive for consistency. I don't have one thought-process, necessarily.'

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