Larry Love & Paul Duane on 'Don’t You Know Who I Am?'

Larry Love

"I was approached by Olaf and Paul when they figured they wanted a non-actor to play Rossi. Somebody said, 'I’ve seen Larry Love stumbling around Galway enough times.' I was typecast! It’s funny. In Olaf ’s story there is a certain sentimentality which between me and Paul we totally removed. When we were first talking about the character even Paul was saying things to me like 'he’s going through a hard time or 'he’s misunderstood'. I had to say 'Listen Paul, He’s just a cunt'.
"I’m very aware of that fucking up their arse wanker shit musicians can do. That bubble they live in of narco-narcissistic wank. In this business you live by the sword, die by the sword. I’ve stumbled around Galway enough times and quickly learned you’ve got to earn your respect there. They might give you a smiley smiley on the tourist tip. If you want to get in to the real deal you’ve got to have integrity.
"Writing the song that plays over the credits was a trip. We had a four-hour tea break the last day of shooting. Paul had previously asked me to do a song for the end of the film. I said 'just get me a fuckin’ studio.' He said 'you can’t do the song in four hours!'. I found this dude living in a squat with Garageband. In the four hour break I wrote the song. I was inspired by Paul and Olaf ’s speed and efficacy in making the movie. The film is about a self-indulgent musician who wanders around feeling sorry for himself. Me going into a studio and saying 'let’s work this' felt like the anthesis of that. It worked out great.
"I wrote the song in Ireland, went over to London and re-recorded some bits. I think that gave it a real organic sensibility. The film is great at a political level. Having made it so quickly and cheaply, hopefully it will encourage others to create original art of their own."

Paul Duane

"I’ve known Olaf for years and when he came to me with the idea of turning the story into a script I was quite discouraging because I know how these things usually work out. Despite my misgivings, he came to me with a script and I threw a few suggestions at him.
"Most of the time when you do that with writers, as opposed to screenwriters, they’ll throw their toys out of the pram. Olaf just went and rewrote, took some of my suggestions on board and threw others out. And he came back with a better script. By the time he asked if I’d like to direct he’d put so much work into it I couldn’t really say ‘no’.
"We knew we wanted a rock and roll person to play the lead. As soon as Larry Love occurred to us, we knew he’d be perfect. Larry has spent so much time with rock and rollers he wouldn’t pussyfoot around anything. Considering his inexperience, he was an utter pro, turned up everyday knowing his lines, ready to go. The shoot itself was fun – it was brilliant having Olaf around. If they have the right temperament it’s always wonderful to have the writer to hand.
"A director always has the next thing on his mind. There are so many logistical concerns that it’s invaluable to have somebody like Olaf step in and say: 'If you don’t get this moment right the thing that’s going to happen next won’t have the same power'. The shoot was done in about three days for no money. It’s got a real DIY feel. We’re all very proud."

See it here.