Chicago author Robert K. Elder featured on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:25:00 -0500

Hi, it's Steve Edwards here pinch-hitting for the vacationing Justin Kaufmann. As Justin laps up the sun and waves at an undiscolosed location, I've been covering his web production shifts, which keeps me up way too late most nights.

It also has me scouring sites for interesting Chicago tidbits - like this one featuring writer Robert K. Elder, a recent and frequent guest as of late on WBEZ's Eight Forty-Eight.

Why? Elder is a former staff writer for the Chicago Tribune who has been on a roll lately. Seriously. The guy leaves the Trib and in a span of about a year has not one, but three books published.

The first is Last Words of the Executed, an acclaimed oral history which features the collected last words and statements made by those facing capital punishment. And it even features a forward by our own late, legendary chronicler Studs Terkel.

Elder quickly followed Last Words with more words - this time from film directors. The result is a fascinating collection of interviews with some of today's most respected directors, including Danny Boyle, Atom Egoyan and John Woo. It's called The Film That Changed My Life.

The third book? You'll get a sneak peak in the video above.

We're still not sure why a can of Diet Coke was featured prominently in the foreground of an interview set and filmed inside of a bar - and on a show called Last Call with Carson Daly, no less - but it's a great look at a Chicago writer fascinated by how people are shaped by life experience.

Directors share their favorite film moments for new book

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:28:00 -0600

Sunday’s Best Director nominees at the Academy Awards would surely be able to name a pivotal cinematic moment in their lives; a film that catapulted a life-long dedication to the art of filmmaking. A new book looks to discover and dissect some of those moments. The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark is the work of local journalist Robert K. Elder. And, naturally, Elder didn’t forget to include his own film favorite. With so many directors to choose from, Eight Forty-Eight's Alison Cuddy asked Robert: How do you narrow it down to just 30 films?

Music Button: Paul Williams, "Goodbye, Eddie, Goodbye", Phantom of the Paradise Soundtrack (Universal)

WBEZ | Robert K. Elder

Chicago author Robert K. Elder featured on NBC's Last Call with Carson Daly

Directors share their favorite film moments for new book