“Then I called Mark, the kid from the Pedantiks and we arranged to meet at Texarkana. He said he was bringing the guy Sam from his group. Anyway during dinner we talked about rock, I guess…. Sam’s teeth are bad and he looks grey, but I guess rock and roll isn’t healthy and these kids and they do start to look like that”
Andy Warhol; Warhol Diaries. Sunday, September 25th, 1983.
Sam Slovick has had a decidedly eclectic career experience as writer, actor, major label recording artist, journalist and documentary director / producer in his arsenal.
Published extensively in a variety of national and international publications including: Details, Vibe, Interview, Giant, Good, Tar, L.A. Weekly, Neon, Nylon, The Face, The Advocate, Curve, Angelino and others, Sam Slovick initially made a splash as self-styled club kid in the 80’s in New York.
A native of Oshkosh, Wisconsin with no formal schooling, he received his education on the street and under the tutelage of established writers and artists including Andy Warhol.
He has appeared in numerous television shows and films including Jodi Foster’s Home for the Holidays, The Cosby Show and Fame in addition to John Milieus’ epic feature Red Dawn and others.
As a singer / (BMG) songwriter his major label releases include records on Elektra / Asylum and RCA. His band Louie Says (RCA records) with Clark Stiles (The Good Listeners) features songs that have appeared in film and TV including Dawson’s Creek, Buffy and the Vampire Slayer, Baywatch and others. As front man for the critically acclaimed pop band, The Pedantiks regularly at CBGB’s, Studio 54, Danceteria and Area sharing the stage with everyone from Souxiee and the Banshees and Duran Duran to The Beastie Boys. He recently release, Freeloader Jamboree on the Centerline Records /Axis Mundi Label in 2008.
An accidental journalist, he found his calling in the late 90’s when he interviewed friend Robert Downey Jr. for a Details Magazine cover story. His ability to access subjects at the street level has garnered wide acclaim.
Nominated for 2007 Pulitzer Prize (by the L.A.Weekly), World Hunger Year/Harry Chapin & MAGGY award finalist in journalism for LA Weekly Skid Row series, Slovick has made the obvious evolution as documentary director /writer / producer with “On Skid Row” (Good Magazine/ Video & MySpace / LINK TV http://www.goodmagazine.com/video http://www.myspace.com/samslovick) and “The Sandbox” Persian Gulf Soldier Stories (Exec Producer MySpace).
His work as a philanthropic producer includes: The Silver Lining/Silver Lake benefit series with Elton John, Sting, Beck, Aimee Mann, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers hosted by Robert Downey and Johnny Knoxville.
DISCUSSION: 4 Comments
this is so well done, kudos. I just moved to LA, the homeless problem is massive.
i’m from chicago an all i can say is wow however somebody should check out our abandoned sub ways its preety much the same thing
The great news about this country is that you can live in a mansion or you can live on the streets.. That is the beauty of freedom. If we take away skid row, people won’t be free to be homeless.. I talk to homeless people daily, trust and believe that the majority are not interested in making the changes neccessary to improve their life.. Society will always have the street people.. Don’t hate, appreciate..
Maybe it’s my cultural/ political heritage from a northern european socialist democracy but comments like: Homelessness is freedom, for me, is absolutely awful. I guess it’s not semantically wrong but it is completely irrelevant. The freedom to become ignored and spat upon isn’t something I would fight for. Maybe the comment was meant to be ironic, I don’t know, otherwise it’s a sad display of antihumanism. Poverty Macht Frei? Nonsense!