BOLT. COM
LIVE CHAT WITH LIZ NORD
MAY 19, 2004
Bolt Moderator: Hey guys, the chat is beginning. We're here with Jericho's Echo director Liz Nord!
dionnavenus: I'm a punk fan but I've never of you? What's your history? 5/19/2004 3:59:53 PM
Liz Nord: I grew up in the punk scene in upstate New York, but in the past 8 years I have been working closely with a label called Negative Progression Records and have got to know many bands that way. In fact, that's how I met my first Israeli band. 5/19/2004 4:08:50 PM
Glittergirl2k2: That documentary is going to be very interesting and informative. It is good to see that you took the time out to create such a film. My questions to you are: Who/what has inspired you to create such a film? 5/19/2004 4:03:38 PM
Liz Nord: Basically here in the US we hear about Israel and Middle East every day, but only from very specific perspectives and I felt there was more to the story. I wondered what I could do to share that story and I realized that Israeli punks would be the perfect people to give a new picture of what's happening in Israel. 5/19/2004 4:07:21 PM
yeprite: What's the coolest place you have been to. 5/19/2004 4:13:47 PM
Liz Nord: I love to travel so shooting this documentary was very interesting for me. But I think Israel is definitely one of the coolest places I've been to in the world. 5/19/2004 4:25:56 PM
claire_bear_84: Other than the obvious differences, how do israeli teenagers differ from american teenagers? And how does their punk scene differ from the american underground punk scene? 5/19/2004 4:40:15 PM
Liz Nord: I have found that teenagers are teenagers everywhere with the same kinds of concerns. But of course life just seems much more intense in Israel. The teenagers had to grow up more quickly because many of them have lost loved ones or are about to enter mandatory military service. As far as the punk scene, it seemed much more exciting there in some ways. Like the punk scene here must have been 25 years ago when it was new. 5/19/2004 4:44:07 PM
Lena918: What are you hoping to accomplish with your film? 5/19/2004 4:42:26 PM
Liz Nord: Like I said at the beginning, I would like to share a different perspective on the Middle East situation because people I've met in this country have a very specific view of Israel. Hopefully this movie will help open some minds or some discussions. 5/19/2004 4:43:45 PM
daffy5838: It is still so hard for women to make it today, and I was wondering if you have noticed any difficulties while filming or while trying to get the movie made just because you are a woman? 5/19/2004 4:46:03 PM
Liz Nord: I wish I could say it's exactly the same as a woman as for a man, but I have found that it's not. I know a lot of women filmmakers who all feel like they have to work twice as hard to get the same recognition. But my opinion is working twice as hard makes the reward twice as satisfying. 5/19/2004 4:44:30 PM
yuki2: Did you become close to any of the bands? Are you still in touch with them? 5/19/2004 4:46:47 PM
Liz Nord: Yes. Israelis are cynical people and as you can imagine Israeli punks are even more cynical. Therefore, it was difficult to get in with them, but once I did I met some amazing people who I am still friends with. I hope to help some of the Israeli bands tour the US. 5/19/2004 4:47:53 PM
margie4543: Hi Liz! It seems like it was a cool experience to go over to Israel to make the documentary. My question is - how has your perspective changed about the teens you met with from before making the film to after? 5/19/2004 4:48:38 PM
Liz Nord: I think before I went I thought it was okay that the military service is mandatory in Israel. That was in theory. But when I met all these young kids who were about to go serve I questioned my earlier thinking. 5/19/2004 4:49:56 PM
naughty_sweetpe: Do you have a different perspective on the war and on going problems right now since you have done this film? 5/19/2004 4:50:22 PM
Liz Nord: I always realized that war is complicated, but when you're in a country like Israel which is about the size of New Jersey, with thousands of years of war and history, it all seems much more complicated and intense. 5/19/2004 4:51:25 PM
Bolt Moderator : Were you ever in any physical danger while filming? 5/19/2004 4:51:56 PM
Liz Nord: The funny thing about being in Israel is that you don't feel unsafe. The biggest injury was probably when I was knocked over in a mosh pit while trying to film a show. 5/19/2004 4:52:33 PM
hardcoregrrl247: What was your most memorable experience while working on the film? 5/19/2004 4:53:12 PM
Liz Nord: In general, I loved feeling the amazing energy at the Israeli punk shows. More specifically, some of the times when I got to go out with the punks when I was not filming them were really fun. 5/19/2004 4:54:07 PM
Spider_Angel5: Why did you choose to investigate the punk scene only? 5/19/2004 4:54:25 PM
Liz Nord: There are so many issues to discuss when thinking about Israel that it might have gotten too confusing to focus on many different groups. Plus, I found the punks the most intriguing of all the people I met there. 5/19/2004 4:55:09 PM
Sauron_Server1: What challenges did you face while filming? This includes people, techincal, and other. 5/19/2004 4:55:43 PM
Liz Nord: The most challenging aspect was that I was doing the shooting alone. So sometimes I wished I had more help. But because the shooting schedule was so hectic and I had to be ready to go whenever the punks were ready, I couldn't always have someone else with me. 5/19/2004 4:56:49 PM
Bolt Moderator: What risks did the musicians face by participating in your film? 5/19/2004 4:57:54 PM
Liz Nord: That is a good question. I hope I'm not putting anyone at risk and only helping to promote their music, but some of the musicians have very controversial opinions. So they may face some repercussions when the film comes out. 5/19/2004 4:58:29 PM
cutegurl556: Hey I'm from Israel, so I'm really excited about this movie! My question is, when you came to Israel, was it how you expected it to be? 5/19/2004 4:59:26 PM
Liz Nord: Well, I was in Israel once before as a tourist only and I saw all of the amazing sites. So this trip was really different. One thing that surprised me was how the suicide bombings have become part of daily life to the point where everyone just says, "You get used to it." 5/19/2004 5:00:17 PM
sunshinevalley: What did you like about Israel? 5/19/2004 5:00:51 PM
Liz Nord: I like the weather! I love the fact that history is preserved there because here we have plowed over our ancient history. And the people can be difficult, but after I got used to Israeli people I found them to be very warm and very funny. 5/19/2004 5:01:18 PM
Bolt Moderator: In an article on your site, you talk about the divide between political and non-political punk bands. Could you talk about that a little bit? 5/19/2004 5:02:17 PM
Liz Nord: Thanks for checking out the site! In every scene that I have been a part of, there are always some bands who just play for fun or to meet girls or whatever, and there are some bands who have a serious political motivation. In Israel this also exists but it seemed so much more poignant to me because the bands who are not political are really making a strong choice about that because it's so hard to avoid politics there. In a way, I felt that no matter what kind of bands were in Israel, they were making a political statement just by differing from the mainstream. 5/19/2004 5:02:54 PM
littlegreenpea: What are your favorite documentaries/directors? Did you watch any of them for inspiration? 5/19/2004 5:04:28 PM
Liz Nord: I tried to get my hands on as many documentaries as possible for learning and for pleasure! And I'm really glad that documentaries are getting more popular now. But it's hard to name favorites. I saw one last year called HORNS AND HALOS about a guy that wrote a biography about George Bush and then the Bush family tried to ruin his character and that was very interesting. :) 5/19/2004 5:04:58 PM

Bolt: How much did your Jewish-American identity play into your making of this film? 5/19/2004 5:06:23 PM
Liz Nord: Well, it was part of the inspiration to see what was really going on there and I think in a way it made it more challenging for me because American Jews have a certain perception of Israel. So I had to break my own preconceived ideas during the filming. 5/19/2004 5:07:40 PM
squasha: Hi Liz. I'm wondering if you could comment on the state of punk music in Israel today. Are they where the US was 20 years ago? Or is their "punk" something different than ours is/was? Is it a fairly new movement over there or has it just survived longer than in the US? 5/19/2004 5:08:00 PM
Liz Nord: The punk scene is fairly new over there and that's why the movie is so exciting. The styles of music that are being played there are not very unique. They sound similar to American or British punk, but because the scene is realtively new it all felt new again being there. 5/19/2004 5:09:10 PM
BossBlog: are there palestinian punks? if so, do they figure into the documentary? i figure they have just as much to thrash and spit and growl about... 5/19/2004 5:09:37 PM
Liz Nord: I was hoping to find some, but I didn't. Palestinian society is much more conservative than Israeli society. Although, there are a couple Palestinian hip-hop bands. 5/19/2004 5:10:30 PM
Bolt Moderator: How have punk communities in the United States responded to your film? 5/19/2004 5:10:50 PM
Liz Nord: The movie is not yet complete, but I have received so much support from the American and International punk scenes. I have received letters and donations from punks from Canada, the UK and the US and that's very encouraging. 5/19/2004 5:11:10 PM
Bolt Moderator: Did you try to remain politically objective in your film, or did you stand a political stand? 5/19/2004 5:12:02 PM
Liz Nord: I tried to voice the opinions of the punks and keep my own opinions out of it. 5/19/2004 5:15:46 PM
handlebar: Top 5 punk albums? 5/19/2004 5:12:48 PM
Liz Nord: That's pretty hard! I don't think I could name albums on the spot, but some my classic favorite bands are Bad Religion, Minor Threat, Seven Seconds and Fugazi. 5/19/2004 5:14:25 PM
BossBlog: What's playing your CD player? 5/19/2004 5:14:47 PM
Liz Nord: Alkaline Trio, Counterfit, and Grant Olney. 5/19/2004 5:15:22 PM
BM: What are your plans after this movie is completed? 5/19/2004 5:16:02 PM
Liz Nord: After the movie is completed there is still about a year of promoting and distributing the film including taking it to film festivals and stuff like that. I am open to ideas about my next project, so please feel free to email me your ideas! (Go to www.jerichosecho.com to contact me.) 5/19/2004 5:16:57 PM
Sendmagirl: How can I best help you complete your film? 5/19/2004 5:17:41 PM
Liz Nord: There's still fundraising for completion of the movie. It has been funded in an entirely punk and grassroots way. You can help by making a donation on our website or sending out the email at the bottom of the donations page to help get other donations. If you can't make a donation, join our mailing list and keep up with the progress of the movie so when it's done you can go see it! 5/19/2004 5:19:06 PM
Bolt Moderator: Thanks, Liz Nord, for joining us at Bolt for this chat. And good luck in the completion of your film! 5/19/2004 5:20:08 PM