This is slightly off topic, but I though relevant to the group. I
was sad to find out that Bill Rice died on Monday. Bill was an
East Village institution and an important figure in New York's downtown
theatre, film and art scene. As an actor, he was very active in
the New York "No Wave" film scene of the 70s and 80s. He was in
films by Beth & Scott B, Amos Poe, Richard Kern, Robert Frank,
Charlie Ahearn, Jonas Mekas and many others, co-starring with the likes
of Lydia Lunch, Adele Berei, Pat Place, John Lurie, Cookie Mueller,
Viva, Ann Magnuson, William S Burroughs, FM Einheit and various other
luminaries on the underground scene. His last role was in Jim
Jarmusch's "Coffee & Cigarettes", with Taylor Meade, who he
appeared in many films and plays with. Another of Bill's frequent
collaborators was Gary Indiana. Bill remained active in the
theatre up until a few months before his death.
I worked with Bill on a movie I made in 1998 and found him to be a very
generous, patient, spontaneous and understanding actor. In the
years since, I would often run into him in the East Village and he was
always very warm and funny. All around I thought he was a
wonderful, endearing, amazingly creative person and while I'm sad that
he's gone, I am also very grateful to have had the opportunity to work
and be friends with him.
-harris smith
[TypicalGirls] bill rice r.i.p.,
harris smith, 01/25/2006