Fiona Apple and Paul Thomas Anderson have a long, creatively fulfilling, occasionally tortured history together. The two began dating in late 1997, early 1998, instantly becoming the coolest It couple since I married Winona Ryder (in my mind), she about to release the extraordinary When the Pawn…, he putting the final touches on the bizarrely great Magnolia. They worked on three music videos together, including “Fast as You Can” and “Limp,” and according to a must-read piece from Grantland, Anderson would “steal her lines” while writing Magnolia. (Anderson also met Adam Sandler, who we’d later make Punch Drunk Love with, while Apple was the musical guest on SNL.)
Obviously things didn’t work out for those crazy kids, but they’re apparently still friends, because he directed her split-screen “Hot Knife” music video, from last year’s riveting The Idler Wheel. Although nothing happens, it’s still more plot-driven than Anderson’s The Master, albeit without any sand mermaid humping.
