From the March 3, 1997 issue of the Tampa Tribune:

By Curtis Ross

Hellion, he says, is his middle name.

"It's bothersome to me that people assume that it's a nickname," Crispin Glover says from New York. He told the Toronto Sun that the name came from his father, Bruce Glover, who used it in place of his own hated real middle name, Herbert.

And Hellion has been an apt description of the 32-year-old actor. He gained massive exposure as Michael J. Fox's father in the 1985 comedy "Back to the Future." Then he moved on to a series of quirky roles, ranging from merely eccentric to outright demonic.

The success of "Back to the Future," Glover says, "afforded me the opportunity to be selective." The first movie he chose after "Future" was 1986's harrowing "River's Edge." Glover's portrayal of the speed-freak leader of a teenage murder coverup seared an impression into moviegoers' memories.

He followed with equally idiosyncratic roles: Laura Dern's deranged cousin in "Wild at Heart" (1990); Andy Warhol in "The Doors" (1991); and a porn magnate's confidante in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (1996).

Glover appears in "What Is It?" a film he wrote and directed. But it's not in theaters. Glover is showing the film during appearances billed as "Crispin Hellion Glover's Big Slide Show."

This, of course, is not a normal method of movie distribution. "The nature of this film is such that it would play at art houses instead of cineplexes," Glover says. "So it makes more sense to distribute it myself."

The cast is made up mostly of actors with Down syndrome. The film's purpose, he says, is to promote the use of Down syndrome actors "as a viable idea to investors." The film "is not about Down syndrome, the condition. It does not address this on any level."

Glover says the film he's screening is not the final version. "I'm still working on it," he says. "I make money doing the slide show so I can finish the film."

The slide show makes up the second portion of the evening. The slides are of illustrations from Glover's books, such as "Oak Mot" and "Rat Catching." These are titles published in the 1800s to which Glover adds his own writings and artwork.

"I had seen a book in an art bookstore once where someone had taken a book from the 1800s and put artwork in it," he says. "I thought it was an interesting idea."

The slide shows originated when Glover was asked to do readings of his books. "I never felt that it would work since books were very visual," he says. "I needed slides so audiences could see. The illustrations are very much part of the books."

(CHART) CRISPIN HELLION GLOVER'S BIG SLIDE SHOW

- WHAT: A screening of the film "What Is It?"; also, a reading accompanied by illustrations. Glover will sign his books and answer questions after the presentation.

- WHEN: Tuesday at 9 p.m.

- WHERE: The Rubb, 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City

- TICKETS: $ 8 advance, $ 12 at the door; call (813) 247-6234 for information.

The success of "Back to the Future" "afforded me the opportunity to be selective," says Crispin Glover.