BYOD: Bring Your Own Doc
Episode 244
WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE? - An Uncensored Exploration of Nina Simone with Director Liz Garbus
WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE, the Netflix documentary on Nina Simone that explores the creativity of the volatile and gifted artist, is shared by director Liz Garbus. Featuring clips from the film, and exploring the role of racism, politics, and mental illness in the life of Simone, we learn about the story behind the much loved documentary. Additionally, Garbus talks about her previous films THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA, LOVE MARILYN, and BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD. It is a great companion to the documentary that has helped cause a renaissance for the music of Nina Simone, on this BYOD interview hosted by Ondi Timoner.
Episode Breakdown
00:01 Welcoming to Liz Garbus to BYOD.
00:38 Previous work, THE FARM: ANGOLA, USA and access to film inside prison.
03:30 LOVE MARILYN, BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD and accessing personal estates.
05:47 How Nina’s letters, radio interviews and music shaped the film.
07:29 WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE Clip, becoming Nina.
08:54 Pitching to Radical Media and understanding Nina’s dream.
12:30 WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE Clip, “shaking people up”.
12:54 Tracking down archival footage and music documentaries of 2015.
15:56 Nina’s conflicting thoughts on domestic violence and mental illness.
19:17 WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE Clip, Nina’s fight against racism.
23:00 Mississippi Goddamn and the dangerous of political music.
25:52 Relating to Nina.
26:38 Nina’s legacy and artists who have drawn inspiration from her.
27:49 Responses to the film.
28:46 Swimming and fashion.
29:15 The opening of the film, Montreux Jazz Festival 1976.
32:15 Thank you and goodbye.
34:12 WHAT HAPPENED MISS SIMONE, Clip, Nina’s suffering.
Guest Bio
Classically trained pianist, dive-bar chanteuse, black power icon, and legendary recording artist Nina Simone lived a life of brutal honesty, musical genius, and tortured melancholy. This astonishing epic interweaves never-before-heard recordings and rare footage, creating an unforgettable portrait of one of our least understood, most beloved artists.
Liz Garbus is a documentary film director and producer. Her 2011 film, Bobby Fischer Against the World, opened the documentary section of that year’s Sundance Film Festival, reserved for master American documentary filmmakers. The same year she was nominated a second time for an Academy Award, for her film Killing in the Name, which she produced with her producing partner Rory Kennedy.[ Garbus’ 2012 film, Love, Marilyn, internationally opened as a Gala Premiere at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival and aired on HBO summer of 2013.
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