WMV: What Bridge are you named after?
Darlene: None! I was born Anderson, adopted Bridge as an adolescent, and married Lofgren. I use "Bridge" as my middle name because I had a theatre and published material and received some awards as "Darlene Bridge." Lofgren didn't become my legal last name until I was in my late thirties.
WMV: Your Facebook
www.facebook.com/darlene.lofgren
indicates that your hometown is Chicago, Illinois. When and where were you born?
Darlene: I was born during World War Two, in Chicago. 1944.
WMV: In which city and State do you currently reside?
Darlene: Los Angeles. The neighborhood is old Hollywood. (There is no Hollywood as a town or city! It's a neighborhood, but any mail sent to "Hollywood" gets to where it's going anyway. The post offices themselves, in this area, are designated as "Los Angeles." Isn't that interesting? There is no Hollywood!)
WMV: Yes, according to Wikipedia.org, Hollywood has merely been a district within Los Angeles since 1910, when its inhabitants agreed to merge with Los Angeles in order to ensure that they would have enough water, and to gain access to L.A.'s sewer system.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce did appoint an Honorary Mayor of Hollywood "for ceremonial purposes only"; Johnny Grant held this unofficial office from 1980 until his death, in 2008.
Where do you stand on the decriminalization and/or legalization of marijuana?
Darlene: William, if any political party matches my philosophy and psychology, it would be Libertarian. So you know my answer would be that anything anyone ingests/imbibes, et cetera is no one else's business, unless they commit a crime while on it - and then it's about the crime, not about what they ate, drank, [and/or] shot up, et cetera.
And since I think that the only "crimes" are assault (includes murder), theft, and fraud, I think everything else is not a government issue. I made a short video called "420 - We Can't Have That" a couple of years ago; it's up on YouTube. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8tatfuVGzc) I think it's had over ten thousand hits. [As of April 4, it has ten thousand, four hundred fifty-four views.] I enjoyed making it, and covered in about three minutes most issues involved in pot. I used an old video program and an old Photoshop, and I have an old, gravely voice, AND my drawings look like a four-year-old made them. It's a rap I wrote and performed. Something of a hoot! But does justice to the subject of pot legalization. I don't smoke it myself; tobacco is my "weed" of choice. (Been smoking for over fifty years now. About ten years after I started smoking, the Surgeon General started putting "his" messages on the cigarette packs. I tried to stop and failed. Would never have started if I'd known it was an addiction. It's dirty and stinky and silly, and I'm glad for those who never start. But I also think it has become the new P.C. [political correctness] to "hate" [smokers]; all those so-called TOLERANT people who can't imagine being called "prejudiced" or a "racist" about anything, but who are fanatically intolerant of smokers... Fascinating...)
WMV: You have stated that you are "a writer." What have you written, and where might our readers read it?
Darlene: Hmmm... Well, in the 'Seventies, a book of my poetry was published: The I in You. It's no longer in print, but some copies are available on Amazon and elsewhere. [The only book by Darlene Lofgren available on Amazon.com as of April 4, 2014, is Michael's Mom - A Novella.] Had some articles and other poetry published at that time, in various magazines - primarily published by Objectivists (Ayn Rand).
In the 'Eighties, I owned, with my husband, Gary Lofgren, The Cleveland News, a weekly in Cleveland, Texas. I was also a reporter for the Cleveland Advocate, and editor, later, for The Communicator (won a State award for "Most Improved Newspaper" from the Texas Free Newspaper Association), and editor for The Illustrated Paperboy.
In the 'Nineties, I self-published a novella, Michael's Mom, which is sold on the net (Cafe Press and elsewhere). [Michael's Mom does not seem to be available on www.CafePress.com, but is available on Amazon.com, as noted above.] And wrote several screenplays that I've yet to market. I took a break from writing, and for eight years, I leased and operated a local cable station (Channel 5 at that time) and brought the first news programs to the Cleveland, Texas area. And during that time, began writing songs as well.
This century I've been working on other screenplays, a biography, short stories, more music...
WMV: You have stated that you "have made short films." What films have you made?
Darlene: A number of news programs and documentaries about the East Texas area for my Channel 5, and later Channel 60; did those from about 1990 to 2002. I had great help with shooting the footage - Robin and Cindy and Jannice, in Cleveland, Texas. The four of us shot city council and school board (first time for non-attending citizens to see the meetings, which was most people) as well as area events. I would edit the footage for the programming. I was also my "sales department" - sold the ads and then created them, built them on computer and with video. I then did the physical work of airing the programs - off my back porch! I think the viewing audience was about ten thousand. The last year I partnered on Channel 60 with Charlene Piper, the town's former City Manager.
As for short films written from scratch, cast, shot, directed, produced, and edited by me, I've begun a series called "The Courtyard." Part One is done, the other three written, and some footage in the can... Part One is twenty-five minutes. I also wrote "Just Desserts," which was produced by Barbara Condon, several years back. She gave me an Internet story that had been going around, and asked me to script it. I have other shorts written that I may produce.
Oh! Years ago, in San Francisco, I was hired by the cable company to do local programming. A documentary I produced, directed, edited and did the interviews for, "So You Want to Leave Home?" (my first ever video project) was nominated by the San Francisco Chapter of the Academy of Arts and Sciences for an Emmy. (Got beat out by a P.B.S. documentary on V.D.!)
WMV: Surely you don't mean "venereal disease"!?!?
Darlene: Yep, the documentary on PBS that beat my "So You Want to Leave Home" documentary was on veneral disease!
WMV: What exactly do you mean by "made"?
Darlene: Well, I shoot, write, cast, act, direct, and edit, most of the time, and usually do my own tech. Sometimes I'm just hired to write. I never used top-notch equipment till the last few years. I used consumer camcorders, till the last decade. (Have a wonderful, professional Sony now.) I edited V.C.R. to V.C.R. in the past! I believe it used to be called "crash editing". (I could split a one-syllable word. Ha!) These last years, I use Final Cut Pro.
WMV: What exactly did you mean by "have" made short films?
Darlene: I moved from Cleveland, Texas, about a decade ago, so no longer own a newspaper or lease a TV station. But I'm still making videos. These days I am writing more than shooting; I have about a dozen short films (drama) written. I find tech (mostly sound) to be a drain to do, so my motivation to shoot and direct at the same time, and also do the tech, is not as strong as needed just now to begin a project, to "create the vision," but I'm surrounded by talented people I want to see on film, and am gearing up to "go at it" again soon.
WMV: You have stated that, "These days [you are] mainly into writing and looking into shooting a few videos." What are you writing?
Darlene: I turn seventy this summer, so I've had some time to think about things. The most important part of being alive, to me, is the power and the beauty and the goodness and the greatness of the human spirit and its energy source. It means a lot to me to see a person recognize and experience their nature. I've, like most people, been through a lot in life, from the get-go, but I have always been amazed and grateful for how well bad things can turn around, and have tried to remember that fact about Life. That the glass is half FULL, not half empty... And when I express that to others, it sometimes brings them healing and/or inspiration. So what I write, produce, share, is primarily focused on healing and inspiring.
As a child, I was taught the love of God (no hell and damnation), and then, as a young adult, I learned of the power of reason from Ayn Rand, and then when I was about thirty, I discovered Jane Roberts and her Seth Speaks books, with their information on our energy source. Out of all this, I've been focused for some years on the magnetism of thought - on how we create our reality. And the source of our nature... What I write now is deeply immersed in the magnetism of thought (called The Law of Attraction by Abraham-Hicks), and the electrical, chemical, and psychic source of our nature. Not in a mystical sense, and not based on faith, but a straight-forward recognition of the nature of reality and its energy source...
So what I am writing now are stories regarding this nature and its characteristics - and always with the aim to heal and inspire.
Also, living as long as I have, so far, I have some interesting experiences to share; such as my work as a contact for the F.B.I. during the turbulent 'Sixties, and, later, my experiences with the K.K.K. [Ku Klux Klan] in East Texas. Lots of first-hand accounts I'd like to share...
WMV: What exactly do you mean by "looking into"?
Darlene: Well, I'm not of the mind set that I have to have financing or an agent or anything, if I want to create or produce. Most people I know believe there's a certain formula to follow - like get an agent, and then pound the pavement or knock on doors, and then spend money on classes or in contests or promos, et cetera. Since millions of people want in the industry, and probably not a half million have entrée, and probably only a hundred thousand "get a chance," and only ten thousand of them "get a job," I think the standard route to success has terrible odds, and I wouldn't want to rely on those odds. So "looking into" creating, for me, means just building up the motivation to launch a project; without heavily depending on other people. Then doing it! The main thing, to me, is the creating, not the so-called success. Years ago, I wanted to act; I lived in San Francisco and A.C.T. [American Conservatory Theater] had just been formed there. I took classes and found that "being a tree" was beyond useless to me. I tried out for plays in the area, and they were all negative in theme; it was the era of existentialism. I only wanted to inspire and heal. So, finally, I started my own theatre (Darlene Bridge Presents) in a hot dog "restaurant" (The House of Sausage, later called The Noble Frankfurter). Just Saturday night performances. Had a decent following (mostly Objectivists). Then, about a year and a half later, I shut it down and went off to New York to take acting lessons from my favorite teacher (Phil Smith, another Objectivist.) Without going into more details, the point I'm making here is to create. To do it! Not wait for others to make it possible... Years later, when I was dissatisfied with the newspaper I worked with in Cleveland, Texas, I started my own. Some years after that, I got the idea to produce news shows, and so talked the local cable company into leasing me a channel. It'd never been done before, and there was no legal precedence, so it took a couple of years to launch it; but I did (This One's for You Productions, Channel 5, and later, Beacon Productions, Channel 60). Again, my point is: Creating is about creating. Don't wait for the "success formula" to be filled. Create!
WMV: Your Facebook indicates that your religious views are "way too complicated to stick in here." Perhaps this interview is a better place for them. What are they?
Darlene: I think I've already given the beginning of my answer - my commitment to expressing/sharing the view of the magnetism of thought, and of the goodness and greatness in our nature and its energy source. I don't hold with that rather amazing idea that a bunch of atoms or whatever had a big, accidental crash and eventually created us. I also don't think that any organized religion has a big enough concept of the power of creation, or of the concept of the Creator. I think there is great truth in all those points of view. But I find those views inadequate to explain our existence. (The best Christian presentation of it I've ever heard is by Joel Osteen.) I DO believe in a Creator, but I see the Creator as an energy Source greater than any god spoken of by any religion or dogma - greater than the human consciousness can wholly grasp. With a very real, physical presence, a part of reality, mainly manifested electromagnetically and chemically, scientifically viewable - not just a mystical concept... I see myself as from that Source, and try to stay balanced and connected to that Source at all times. Often, I am not anywhere near connected. But when I am, I am being/living naturally and joyously. In that sense, I DO embrace the concept of God - which I find totally confirmed by Science. Again, I think explaining it truly is too complicated for an interview. Even for a book or a series of books. And yet it is very simple...
WMV: California is known for its wide variety of burger joints and chains, including McDonald's, Burger King, In and Out, Carl's Jr., and Tommy's. Which are your favorites?
Darlene: Ha! What an interesting question! Mac's has the best coffee of them all. In and Out I like. And especially Fat Burger! And Taco Bell! And Subway! Jack has the best hash browns. I'm something of an expert on this (another ha). Cooking is just an activity I've never slowed down for, much. Though I ADMIRE those who can.
WMV: What charities, if any, such as Ronald McDonald House, do you support?
Darlene: Since I live on social security these days, I don't donate cash to any charities at this time. In the past, and I'm sure in the future, I support the soldiers, the N.R.A. [National Rifle Association] (don't like guns but love the 2nd amendment), Saint Jude's, people trying to get together the down payment to own their own homes... Gracious, so many people I support in my heart! The only charity I can give freely, just now, is my time and attention to someone trying to work out a problem. Also, I keep my money in one pocket, when I'm out on the street. But in the other pocket I keep a dollar bill. and when someone asks for change, et cetera I give them that bill. Always! I don't care what they use it for.
WMV: Your Facebook also indicates that you have a cousin named Kelly Boyd Ross. What would you like to tell us about her?
Darlene: She is a sweet cousin I've not met. I was transplanted as a young person from my Chicago family, and have not been back in the years since. I have many cousins, and now they all have children. I've had little actual family in my life since I was quite young, but they are in my heart. My Chicago family fills me with admiration; they represent, to me, the salt of the earth, the people who live and learn and try, whom no one ever hears about. They're not famous. Few are "rich." They are real, and they are profoundly decent.
WMV: What, if anything, would you like to tell our readers about any other relatives, friends, or significant others?
Darlene: I have been blessed by the majority of the people I've met: family and friends and acquaintances. I love and am loved, though, of course, I haven't always felt that way. Romantically, I had a great love whom I lost years ago; don't know if he's still alive or not. My only marriage was to a man whom I didn't truly appreciate at the time, who has been deceased for more than two decades now, and I miss him still. There were two other men I don't see anymore, but [they] still bring me joy when I think of them, individually. And, since I'm not dead yet, perhaps romance is still ahead for me. My greatest joys are my sons, Garrett - a great human being - and Andrew - a great mystery and a great sojourner, especially of ideas. Andrew is myself. Garrett is my son. And I have a sister who lives far way. We've spent very little time together, but we are bonded. And then there is my Chicago family who has no idea how often I think of them, and root for them, and admire them.
Given my age, most of my favorite peers no longer grace the earth, but my best friend, Char, is only two thousand miles away (sigh!); and my old friend, Penelope, that same distance - further, when she goes home to Africa; and my newest friend, Jill, lives far away. And there are some young people I know these days who inspire me and warm me. I can't name everyone here who blesses my life.
WMV: Yes, speaking from experience, I agree that Garrett is a great human being.
Your Facebook indicates that you have a Master's Degree in Life. What other degrees, diplomas, or certificates have you earned?
Darlene: I don't think I have any official degrees. As a senior in high school, where I was in all the honor classes, I was given a full scholarship to Trinity in Texas or Northwestern in Illinois. I was going to be trained to be a missionary, I think. It was four, full years at the university, and then two years as an intern. My personal life was such at the time that I didn't take advantage of that great gift. But, a few years later, I did enroll in a university; I almost finished the first semester, but dropped out. It seemed to cost way more than any instruction given was worth. I tried again, a few years later, in Northern California, and reached the conclusion that unless I planned on learning brain surgery, or some such, higher education was too costly for the value, and too leftist in its leanings. Reason and fact were too often missing from the professors' teachings. I so wanted to LEARN, and I loved a beautiful campus, and the whole IDEA was so wonderful. But my limited experiences led me to believe that this was a true instance of "the emperor has no clothes." In the decades since, as I talk with students and graduates of "higher education," I've not changed my mind. But I can see where it might be a dream-come-true for someone. Just not for me... I've been an avid reader since First Grade, and it's paid off as well as most anyone else's college degree.
WMV: Your Facebook indicates that your favorite quotations are from Jefferson (presumably Thomas), Emerson (presumably Ralph Waldo), Thoreau (presumably Henry David), Rand (I'm guessing Paul), Osteen (presumably Joel), Jane Roberts, and Seth and Abraham Hicks. What are some examples of their quotations which are among your favorites?
Darlene: You got their full names correct, but for Rand. That would be Ayn Rand. (Rand Paul was named after her.). And there are way too many quotes from all these individuals that I value; it's very hard to only share one of each.
Thomas Jefferson: "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
Ralph Waldo Emerson: “You become what you think about all day long.”
Henry David Thoreau: “There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly.”
Ayn Rand (from Anthem): “I understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him.”
Joel Osteen: “You cannot expect victory and plan for defeat.”
Jane Roberts/Seth Speaks: “Do not personally give any more conscious consideration... to events that you do not want to happen. Any such concentration, to whatever degree, ties you in with those probabilities, so concentrate upon what you want..."
Abraham-Hicks: "Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you're worrying, you are planning. When you're appreciating you are planning... What are you planning?"
WMV: What correlation, if any, is there between Jane Roberts, and Seth and Abraham Hicks?
Darlene: Jerry Hicks, whose wife, Esther "became" Abraham-Hicks, first read Jane Robert's Seth Speaks books, then went on to "create" what he and his wife do. Some of the many similarities would be:
1) channeling the material,
2) the magnetism of thought, the Law of Attraction,
3) that we create our own reality.
The Seth books have some heavy-duty science in them; Abraham-Hicks ties more directly to feelings.
WMV: Your Facebook indicates that you studied at "Jesse H. Jones, Houston," presumably in Texas. Garrett said he was from Texas. Why did you move from Chicago to Houston?
Darlene: I was a kid, and my family moved there. As for Garrett, he was born in Azusa, here, near L.A., at a natural birth clinic on Foothill. We moved back to Texas when he was young, but have returned here as adults. Both of us love L.A.
WMV: Have you or anyone in your family served in the military?
Darlene: My birth father and my adopted father both served in the Navy in World War Two. And were both forever marked by their experiences... My heart rips when I think of what servicemen are subjected to.
WMV: When and why did you move to Los Angeles?
Darlene: I've been back here several times in my life, usually because of the industry. But have always gotten caught up in other personal issues and so have seldom "done" much about my "career." I'll get around to it, yet!
WMV: Where, besides Illinois, Texas, and California have you traveled?
Darlene: I was born in Chicago, sent to boarding school in Evansville, Wisconsin; later transplanted to Houston; then, at nineteen, moved to San Francisco; and then, about eight years later, to L.A., briefly; and then on to Manhattan. Was in road shows for a summer, living in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Richmond, Virginia. Later, back to East Texas, then briefly in Utah, and then back to L.A. FINALLY. Love this town! Don't want to leave it again!
WMV: What are your favorite travel destinations?
Darlene: Home. Wherever my abode is. The physical dwelling.
WMV: What are your favorite modes of travel?
Darlene: Train. IF I must travel... I lived so many places as a child and then as an adult, I have no desire to travel anywhere.
WMV: Where would you like to visit that you haven't visited yet?
Darlene: England. I'm homesick for it, though I've never been there.
WMV: What are your favorite T.V. shows?
Darlene: Gracious! Too many! I hardly saw T.V. till about 1997, and have been trying to catch up since. So many brilliant shows - and so many I just flat out enjoy. Fraiser. The Nanny. Hot in Cleveland. Foyle's War (in drama, my favorites are often British; same with plays). The Mentalist. The Sopranos. Downton Abby. Fringe. The X-Files. The Practice. (Told ya I'm still catching up!). Actually, I love reading even more than T.V. or film. Love a good detective series - too many to mention!
WMV: I'm a fan of "The Mentalist" myself.
You recently posted a picture on Facebook which seems to mock users of Facebook and Twitter. Is your relationship with social media a love-hate relationship?
Darlene: Oh, I didn't mean to mock! As for Twitter, I have yet to figure it out. And as for social media, I don't like to participate for more than thirty or forty minutes a day, so "our" relationship is rather cursory. I'm very glad for the phenomena, but it's not an integral part of my life.
WMV: You recently shared, on Facebook, a picture of artistic salads in Ball Mason (as opposed to Kerr) jars. What are your diet and exercise secrets?
Darlene: I trust the body; it is wise beyond recognition. I have some basic guidelines like go for the protein, and 'get up from a book or the computer and move around! I walk a lot. One of the consequences of the tenet that thoughts are magnetic means I know any illness or lack of health in me is created by my thoughts - what am I thinking that has caused my body to break down in some way? Do I think it can be cured, and how much do I want to be cured, and how strong is the thought that's created the illness? I recognize that I alone have to do the thinking that will cure my body. Any outside influence hopefully will be of suggestion and expectation for my return to good health. I have mistaken beliefs, as anyone might, so now and then I suffer ill-health. However, as I said earlier, I will be seventy this summer, and here I add (me; a smoker and an eater of donuts) I don't go to the doctor. I won't do antibiotics; only God knows what they do to the rest of my body, while fighting one thing. I DO appreciate SOME surgeries. (Not that I should have had my tonsils out at five.) Most of all, I believe beliefs control and create our lives, so if a person thinks they need to go to a doctor, then they definitely should go. But, over-all, we appear to live in Hypochondria, U.S.A. And, if every doctor, tomorrow, told every patient they have that they are now cured, I think only ten percent of the sick would still be sick. But that's not my bailiwick. I utterly respect every individual's right to their medical opinions and bodies. I'm just sharing here what my views are. And I would not ever think of imposing my beliefs here on anyone. (Or allowing them to impose theirs on me.) Someday, I might think myself into such a jam, physically, that I'll be hollering for every medical assistance possible, but I doubt if I forget that I'm then just dealing with the symptoms and not the cause.
WMV: Is http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3333966 your IMDb page?
Darlene: I don't know. I had an IMDB page but stopped paying for it. And I didn't have the patience to figure out how to use it effectively.
WMV: Since it's for a "Darlene Bridge Lofgren," odds are that it's yours.
What projects are you working on now?
Darlene: Mainly scripts, short and full-length; but I would add that I have a whole different approach than in the past. That is, I'm re-learning how to express my creativity. In the past, I was focused, often, on "success" - on "producing." Felt and still sometimes feel that if I wasn't creating, I was "wasting" my life. But now, the more I recognize that staying in tune with my fundamental nature, being centered, is more important - the more I only want to create from "that space." It's no longer about "produce," "succeed" for me; it's about Be, and from that, let the creativity flow and bloom and explode and fulfill. Well, h---, that sounds like some woo-ie, woo-ie approach; but I guarantee you, it's an efficacious application of brain-wave states.
WMV: Woo-ie, woo-ie? Okay!
What web links would you like to share with our readers?
Darlene: Hmmm... Well, www.darlenebridgelofgren.com has a lot of my work mentioned (though not up to date), as well as www.destinydesignspress.com (still a work in progress), and I just put up www.healthwealthloveexercise.com. Also, I build websites and have www.destinydesignswebsites.com
WMV: What special plans, if any, do you have for Easter or Mother's Day?
Darlene: Well, Easter I imagine I'll be smiling about, and glad of, the whole concept of Rebirth. And on Mother's Day, I'm sure Garrett will ask me what I'd like to do and take me out to eat or buy me a present, heh, heh. As for Andrew, he's teaching in China just now, but he'll send an email, or we might even Skype.
Where I'm living are several of Garrett's friends who call me "Momma Lofgren," and I suspect I'll be getting some hugs and attention from them. I am a seriously blessed Mom.
Interview by William Mortensen Vaughan
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