Montauk Dayz by Dan De Filippo
A coming of age tale based on a summer filled with action and introspection
About a month ago as I began reading Montauk Dayz, I happened to run into Dan De Filippo promoting his book at Marlena’s Packout in Montauk, and we made a plan to reconnect for a discussion about the book before writing this review. We eventually had our conversation while he was spending time in Italy, promoting the book and scoping out details for his new movie. The movie is a sequel to his 2018 remake of Dementia 13, Francis Ford Coppola’s first horror film. Dan co-wrote and produced the 2018 film which was financed and distributed by Universal Studios. Dan is animated and obviously passionate about his work. As we spoke, I was able to gather some insight and thoughts about his inspiration and the how and why of writing the book.
Although he spent many years summering in Montauk with his family and then with friends, the summer of 1999 is what most of this book is based on. During that summer, he had kept journals of his day-to-day shenanigans with people he met, interactions with friends, his quest for his stolen surfboard, surfing, partying, being a valet, as well as many thoughts about life- basically trying to find his way and figure out what life should look like for him. After college, while working for Dan’s Papers and the Pioneer here on the east end, he turned his journals into a manuscript. Eventually Dan headed to LA and at some point, the manuscript was lost. Eventually he began working for the William Morris Agency in LA. After getting a transfer back to NY, he [within 6 months] opened his own company, Pipeline Entertainment [est. 2017], a NYC based production and talent management firm. Dan De Filippo has certainly come a long way since the summer before his sophomore year of college when hitchhiked to Montauk and spent the summer sleeping on the beach.
20 years after writing the book, just before the pandemic, his sister gave him the copy that he had apparently sent to her after first writing it. Unbeknownst to Dan, she saved a hard copy in her safe deposit box. As circumstance would have it, the pandemic became the perfect time for him to edit the original copy. And quite a lot of editing he did. According to our conversation, he’s really glad he waited to publish it until he was older and could edit his young self. With a bit of condensing of some events and characters, and removing about 100 pages, the new and improved Montauk Dayz emerged.
This is a personal story about, capturing freedom, reflective and spiritual introspection, of a teen figuring out what he wanted out of life. I noted that the first half or so, is written in a voice as a young adult would capture his or her life events. It’s filled with crazy, risky, almost unbelievable antics that were part of his path, leading to the rest of the story which becomes a bit more refined- retold in a somewhat more mature and experienced voice.
Dan’s reflections on this particular summer spent in Montauk appears to be an important moment of his journey of self-discovery. Early in the book, already in Montauk, he was having a phone conversation with his mom, and as moms would, she was trying to understand why he went and how he was surviving. Dan had some deep philosophical oration during which she stopped him and said, “I can’t understand you when you talk like this. You get so damn self-righteous, and you take off on these crazy escapades with no consideration…” as a reader, I could relate. In the book, he often interjects deep introspective, even philosophical thoughts about life and events. Apparently, he was always a deep thinker, reflective, and trying to figure out the why’s and how’s of life- and how he wanted to fit into it, or not.
One particular moment from the book which helped get his thoughts together was when after a particularly bad night he found himself with the ‘man from the dunes’ who had become a sort of advisor/protector. Dan described him to me as someone he met only twice and was almost ghostlike- seeming to appear out of nowhere. “He was closest to a mystic I’ve ever met.” He remembered. During one of their conversations, Dan was answering the question posed to him- “How do you want to live?” His response was that he wanted to “inspire thought by atypical experience. By living an atypical life.” Going on, trying to explain what he meant, Dan continued, “…I’m talking about inspiring the common person, the cooperate executive, the L.A. hipster, the New Yorker – all of the masses – to think, to question, and then maybe, even act upon those thoughts. Find, then spread the answers… to inspire thought! …it goes on and on.” This man, whom he called Jamin asked all of the right questions, similar to a mentor or spiritual advisor. He noted, “My conversations with Jamin were like Tuesdays with Morrie.”
After speaking with Dan, I realized that as unrealistic the early part of the book seemed to me, he does live an unconventional or as he says an ‘atypical’, life. Always seeming to be at the right time and place, or escaping wrong time and place situations, Dan lives life in the moment. “I’m open to the world and going with the moment.” He commented, “Weird shit happens to me all the time.” For example, happening upon influential people during his early years in LA. Or more recently while searching for musicians for book events in Austria and Italy recently, he was connected with a group from Oregon that turned out to be a friend of Ken Kesey’s {author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest} brother Chuck.
When I asked Dan what message he’d like readers to take away from reading this book he said “Freedom, and a Love for Life. To live life, it’s such a gift. Now as I’m older, I see people get trapped or bogged down with everyday routines. We all need to get out of our safe space and go. Even if it’s only once a year or so. And, to be kind.”
For additional information on Dan or the Book, go to https://www.instagram.com/montauk_dayz/
Upcoming event: Southampton Arts Center event for Montauk Dayz on Saturday, September 27th at 3pm. It’s a meet-and-greet with the author that will include the book presentation, a conversation with Dan, a reading, and a Q&A with the audience. Be sure to check the website for final details.