Notes on Jonas Mekas

“Is Jonas too shy to let himself be interviewed by a woman?”

“My purpose in filming NOTES ON JONAS was not to make a portrait per se. As a film editor, I was mainly curious to know about his editing technique. When I tried to get an interview, Jonas played his accordion, his tuba, his harmonica… He even organized a jam session in the basement of AFA. I wondered: ‘Is Jonas too shy to let himself be interviewed by a woman?’ Enlisting a cameraman to shoot the film instead of me did the trick. Jonas invited us to his loft on Broadway and to his editing room. How happy I was to be watching as he gave me a long master class.” –Jackie Raynal