Louder Than A BombAn Interview with Nate Marshall
By Wilson Morales
May 19, 2011
Currently playing in limited theaters is the celebrated documentary, ‘Louder than a Bomb,’ which is directed by Greg Jacobs and John Siskel (nephew of the late film critic Gene Siskel).
Founded in 2001, “Louder Than a Bomb” is the only event of its kind in the country-a youth poetry slam built from the beginning around teams. The film chronicles the stereotype-confounding stories of four teams as they prepare for and compete in the 2008 event.
The film has won more than a dozen film festival prizes, including seven audience awards.
Blackfilm.com caught up with one of the team leaders, Nate Marshall as he spoke about life the film has wrapped and his initial thoughts when he did the project.
How’s life been since the film wrapped in 2008?
Nate Marshall: I’m in school and going into my last year at Vanderbuilt University in Nashville, TN. I’m still writing and performing a lot. I’ve had the opportunity to travel a number of different film festivals in different parts of the country. That’s been great.
What was your initial reaction when they approached you to be part of the film, knowing a good section would be centered on your background?
Nate Marshall: I think when they asked me to be a part of the film, I was a little bit hesitant, but I went and talked with my family and mentors of mine. I went to people I trusted and asked if this would be a good idea. I also spoke with the filmmakers Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel and I liked them. I felt that they weren’t the type that would exploit my situation.
How did get into poetry?
Nate Marshall: I’m from the South Side of Chicago, and initially got into poetry through my grandmother. She was my brain. When I was eleven or twelve, I started rapping and wrote a book of poetry for a school assignment and the teacher liked it so much that she told me that I should enter this poetry slam contest and I didn’t want to do it but she convinced me to.
How do you know what you are going to talk about?
Nate Marshall: For me, I think I’ve always been this way and I tend to draw from my life. In terms of what I write, it depends on where I’m at in my life at the moment. One of the pieces in the film that I talk is about my nephew and I wrote that before he was born. It depends on what pops out at me.
Why should anyone see ‘Louder Than a Bomb?’
Nate Marshall: So often, we look at education and everything that is wrong, or how it can be improve, but very seldom do we empower those youths to tell their own stories. The film is not so much about young people but it’s by young people, and I think that’s rare.
