Wilson's voice finds profound in mundane

The documentarian speaks in philosophical tangents, starting on one topic before taking exit ramps to unexpected subjects, then circling back with deeper meaning.

“If you spend enough time with anyone, something's going to happen.”

How to with John Wilson took off

Launched in 2020, each episode ostensibly covers a tutorial before exit ramps pile up. A battery recycling episode spirals into reincarnation, sanitation safety, toy recalls, and Nazi flags.

The History of Concrete premiered at Sundance

The film plays like an extended episode of his HBO show, but without the 30-minute guardrails. Wilson pitched it as a standard documentary about concrete with twists and turns.

A24 rejected it because of another concrete film

A24 passed on the project, saying they already had a concrete movie coming out. Wilson found this logic absurd, comparing it to limiting action movies or rom-coms per year.

“That's like saying you can only have one action movie or rom-com in a calendar year.”

A cracked foundation sparked the whole thing

Wilson owns an apartment building in Ridgewood, Queens. When the foundation cracked, instead of calling a contractor, he read books about concrete to understand it on a molecular level.

He investigated cycles of renewal

Wilson wanted to explore whether cyclical behavior is a primal impulse that keeps us productive, or a crutch we need to break free from.

Hallmark movies reveal cyclical patterns

Wilson took a Writers Guild class on writing Hallmark movies and found deep connections to how we consume entertainment and tell the same stories repeatedly.

The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race

An annual event in Jamaica, Queens where participants run around the same block for 52 days straight. Founded in 1997 by spiritual guru Sri Chinmoy, it exemplifies cyclical behavior.

Travel expanded the film's scope and budget

Wilson traveled to Rome to see the oldest concrete building, Las Vegas for a concrete convention, Los Angeles, and Ohio to find the oldest concrete road in America.

Michael Imperioli appears in the film

The Sopranos star and Ridgewood resident gives a quick interview about filmmaking and concrete. He's one of several unexpected characters Wilson features.

Jack Macco became the film's heart

Wilson met Macco at a liquor store while filming potholes. The musician became a central character, and they spent a year and a half together following his band to dive bars and festivals.

Macco's optimism countered Wilson's self doubt

Throughout filming, Wilson spiraled in self doubt. Macco's unwavering belief in his music and pursuit of personal satisfaction provided the counterbalance Wilson needed.

No filing system, just chronological chaos

Wilson shoots daily with a Sony FS5 and dumps footage into one chronological sequence. When stuck, he scrubs through it frantically to spark ideas and rescue forgotten shots.

He rejects the creator class plague

Wilson criticizes social media filmmakers for centering themselves in environments. He finds it wasteful and identical, preferring to capture the world around him instead.

“They're filming their face in the middle of an environment. They're putting themselves in the center of something, and I just find it to be such a waste of an image.”

Impossible subjects drive his creative challenge

Wilson deliberately picks subject matter that's extremely hard to make funny. When people tell him he can't do something, it only increases his determination.

“I like to pick subject matter that's extremely hard to make funny.”