David: (asked who – or what – has had the biggest influence on his career) Brian De Palma. This dude knows how to be a mentor – alternately supportive and harsh, friend and teacher, bullying and gentle. He is also genuinely interested in the next generation, loves to know what's current, and is more of a true movie-lover than anybody I've ever met in my life. He listens.
David: (on his favourite books) Favourites change all the time, but the book that affected me the most when I read it was Catcher in the Rye. The author who completely blew me away (and continued to do so right up to his last book) was Kurt Vonnegut.
David: (asked which project he feels didn't live up to what he envisioned) Most of them. And I blame no one but myself. Well, okay, I blame some other people too.
David: (on his favourite piece of music) I listen to an awful lot of music, but have a lot of favourites, and they change all the time. If I had to pick an artist, it would definitely be Springsteen, who I think has done an amazing thing – he's stayed in the pop mainstream for almost thirty years, all the time writing very personal music. I think The Rising was incredible because it was relevant. To maintain relevance after 30 years is remarkable. And he does what I hope I do on my best days – write squarely within pop art conventions, but try to elevate it at the same time. The difference is nine times out of ten I fail and nine times out of ten he hits it – but then again he's a genius.
David: (on his favourite TV program) My favourite TV show is Monday Night Football, or any game in which the Green Bay Packers are playing. Second place (but not that close, nothing can touch the Pack) is the first two seasons of The Sopranos.
Watching Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark inspired David to try his hand at screenwriting.
David is the brother of actor and writer, Stephen Koepp.
David’s surname is pronounced ‘Kep’.
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