Interviews with the first President of Iran Abol Hassan Bani-Sadr, filmmaker Paul Schrader, and music legend Giorgio Moroder.
Abol Hassan Bani-Sadr:
"The Iranian Revolution was the first revolution without an ideology. The goal was liberty, independence, the Islamic Republic. We wanted an Islamic discourse about liberty. But once the revolution was finished, once the Shah’s regime was overthrown, the power struggle began. This power struggle is the reason why we did not succeed in building a democratic state."
Paul Schrader:
"I remember running into Richard Gere a period later and he said that I had told him back than that we were in for kind of an Neo Edwardianism in men’s fashion. After the 1960s and 1970s we were in for kind of a cool Classicism to come back. Richard said he didn’t believe me, but that I was absolutely right. I know the kind of lineage of Gigolo. Not only was it very ‘Warholian’ ––ironically we are in the Chelsea Hotel–– Andy Warhol hat a lot to do with it. Interview magazinechampioned the movie. Andy loved it and once Andy started talking about it, it became kind of a Studio 54 film."
Giorgio Moroder:
Mister Moroder, what was your car in 1980?
I drove a Mercedes SL.
Convertible?
Sure.
The one from American Gigolo?
A Mercedes SL 650, to be precise. I always drove Mercedes, it is a good car. You can drive it open. And I only needed two seats.
Air-conditioning?
I did not need it.
Which color?
Black, like in American Gigolo.
Do you remember what kind of suits you wore?
I know they were too gay. Too European for the Americans. For them it is always a problem if somebody is dressed too elegant, too much color. That’s automatically gay.
