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We rarely know when were in the middle of a life-changing moment.
Likewise, artists dont know what work will connect with a larger audience and become what theyre known for.
So I did that, he told Vulture.
Then in my closet, I saw a blank gray shirt and thought,Heres an even better idea.
I guess its a video now.
Ill make a shirt that says September 21st on the front, and on the back Thats today.
The video was willfully unaware, which is perhaps why it took off the way it did.
September 2016 was full of but her emails tweets and despair over celebrity death.
The September videos remain a source of pleasant nonsense in a world increasingly full of a more malicious chaos.
September 22nd is a very nice moment when I dont have to think about that.
Then Ill just have this idea, and build from that.
But its a strange experience to feel it coming on.
I tweet, I wont do it this year.
Did that cycle feel weirder this year, since days no longer have meaning?Not really.
At first I thought maybe that was an excuse to not do it this year.
But it started really early this year.
We got into quarantine, and people were like, You gotta do it this year!
I dont want to hear that.
It didnt feel like I had to change it up or do something different this year.
But there were things like I cant involve too many people; I cant involve too many different locations.
For example, its got an audience of children, so lets just keep it light.
Keep dancing and whatnot.
I also feel very much like this is not my personality in real life.
People ascribe my personality to this one thing.
Ive become the September Guy, very much thought of as this super-positive force.
Theres a weird disconnect for me in that.
But you cant really control how people interpret you.
But also, I wouldnt want people to be like, Oh, that Demi is so sad.
So this is better than the alternative, I guess.
Im honestly the same way.
It makes me feel sort of unsafe and not able to trust.
So I feel this desire to not contribute to that.
But youre putting the active suppression of thought into the work.
This year is definitely different though.
My co-producer last year was Marina Shifrin, who loves it.
I learned a lesson that third year: Just literally reach out to anyone.
Youre not a burden to anyone, its fine.
She was so gung-ho to help that its her thing as much as it is mine now.
This is the year that Ive actively put more thought into it.
Being able to do these informs what I like about filmmaking a lot of the time.
How do I take that and transfer it into a medium that actually involves story or visual art?
This is a busy month for you.
Preproduction and brainstorming on this was simultaneous to the Open Mike Eagle thing.
It feels like I went from doing nothing to doing everything.
But thats sort of pushed me to realize that I want to do it all.
Lets talk about the idea of holding next years video ransom.
Just a lot of environmental damage that, unfortunately, I wasnt aware of before.
We can raise more money, and guarantee that Ill do this again next year.
Sort of in line with the donations, I saw the Nithya Raman sticker in the video.
That was cute.[Laughs.]
The video has always been politicized by having the charity aspect.
I dont want to do anything right now that feels like just a fun distraction.
I feel very weird about people saying comedy is what we need now more than ever.
Sure, we can do comedy, but it doesnt have to be separate from [politics].
Its a pill in the applesauce.
Okay, my last question is really abstract: How do you feel about time passing, generally?
I feel like, by human nature, we are always desperate for more time.
Youre always more paralyzed by whats in front of you than whats behind you.
And so I think time is a … burden?
And I hate it?
It sounds like you look forward more than you look back.
Youve said before that you hate repeating yourself.
Its gonna be really weird.
I dont really know what to expect.
And by that point, Im already thinking about whats next.
