They say, of learning Japanese, that until you know the first 700 words you will understand almost nothing and be frustrated. After you’ve mastered those first 700, though it may take a couple years, your progress becomes exponential, as the meanings of the remaining thousands of words derive their meanings from compound variations of the first 700. So it is with The Cold Bath. Be patient with us. Mr. Anonymous wanders from topic to topic. I curb this as much as possible, but that is not very much. And yet, after years of having these conversations with him, I am finally learning to see that there is more internal coherence to his monologues than at first I was able to detect. Let the imagery wash over you, and very soon you will connect the dots. I’ll use another metaphor - it’s kind of like staring at one of those Magic Eye 3D posters. You just have to stare and stare, and at last the image will materialize.
This project is several years in the making. I first met Mr. A at a party in Los Angeles. I tried to write a script based on his life, but found that the fictional Mr. A had neither the breadth of opinions nor the language and bearing of the real Mr. A. After 2 years, I ditched all my notes and asked him if I could simply record our conversations. I was rebuked outright.
Another year passed and our contact dwindled, but in January of 2007 he changed his mind and called me. We began taping a few days later.
-- Michael Blieden