It’s not the first time that a Hollywood star has proven himself to have talent off camera as well as on; the new generation of Hollywood stars is proving that they’re not just about the red carpet by having a go at directing, executive producing and even making music.
Besides, when it comes to Jason Schwartzman it runs in his blood; he is Talia Shire’s son, Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew and his cousins include Νicholas Cage and Sofia Coppola. He’s also the favourite ‘son’ of every independent director imaginable, but that just isn’t enough for him, so for the past few year he’s been an active part of the indie music scene too. It all began with his band Phantom Planet, who he has since parted company with, and whose ambitions culminated in their song being used as the theme for “The O.C.”.
His current projects «Coconut Records» and «Young Baby Records» are two independent record labels, clearly influenced by the West Coast surf culture that don’t merely serve as his ticket into the music industry but are a real passion. The Californian vintage style is evident through and through; a good example is the video for “Any Fun” featuring Chloe Sevigny and skateboarding legend Mark Gonzales, which serves as a retrospective of American culture. One of the best current skaters Alex Olson also appears in the video making it a combo of Νew York cool with California Zen.
Schwarzman, however is not the only young actor to have founded a record label. A few years earlier Elija Wood set up “Simian Records”, not to put out his own music but in order to become a member of the indie music community. In his own words, people lost interest after the overkill of the term indie. In his view one of the main reasons for this is the internet and he goes on to explain that he prefers learning about music from his local record shop than through iTunes. “Simian Records” takes its name from him being called a monkey by his family when he was a child. “Apples in Stereo” whose latest track is featured on the latest dance compilation by Yep Roc and New York punk rockers “Heloise and the Savoir Fair” are the label’s latest offerings.
