Maurice Kanbar rarely sits still long enough to engage in an interview, but we caught up with him last month at his headquarters (an eight-story apartment house on Jackson Street) between his return from the Cannes Film Festival (he's attended it every year since 1968), and a flight back to New York, a visit to his flat in London, and a stop in Warsaw with the head of the Koret Foundation. 

   
Maurice, a world-renowned inventor, has become a famous name in San Francisco. He has supported many charities, arts organizations, and more quietly, political figures. His name appears on the Kanbar Center for Performing Arts on Page Street - the home he established for the San Francisco Girls' Chorus - Kanbar Hall, the new theater at the Jewish Community Center, and the Kanbar Cardiac Center at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) in Pacific Heights.
   
Mr. Kanbar has invented some notable fixtures of the culture: a safer hypodermic needle, the D-Fuzz-It, to remove the fuzz from your sweaters, the first multiplex cinema in New York, and, most famously, SKYY vodka.    

Maurice is a notoriously charming, funny and high-spirited host. It's difficult for many to keep up with him, even in conversation. He's fond of admonishing an exuberant guest at his table with a mock serious, "I write the jokes here."

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: We were talking about Jewish comedians. A few were in town the other night, Freddy Roman and so on ... Didn't you work as a tumler when you were a kid, at the nightclubs in the Catskills? (A tumler is someone who would work as a master of ceremonies at a show or a gathering at the Jewish resorts. He was hired to make a scene, break the ice, get the party going.)
   
KANBAR: I wasn't a tumler - there are plenty of tumlers out there - shmaydray [naïve, foolish people] all over the place ...

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: But you'd be good as a tumler  because you like to keep things turned upside down a bit.
   
KANBAR: A tumler is someone who creates a rumpus, OK? Someone who gets people's vinegar going ...

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Aren't you someone who creates a rumpus?
   
KANBAR: No ... I try to cool things down.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: And how do you do that?
   
KANBAR: You become a slave to reason. ... that sometimes makes for great difficulties ...

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: In a rational world ...
   
KANBAR: Exactly. When you know something is irrational, and you want to make it rational, it creates an enormous frustration when you can't solve it.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Would you say you like to control things?
   
KANBAR: No, I am not a control freak. To control things means you have to work! I really hate work.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Hate work? People think you thrive on it ...
   
KANBAR: (Chuckles) No, I really hate work. Work implies something you do for money that you don't like doing. Again, if you like doing something, and you do it, is that work? It's a serious question.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: When did you first discover that?
   
KANBAR: I think I was blessed. I always enjoyed what I was doing - even when I was a busboy working during the summers. I enjoyed it, I liked people, I liked talking to them. It's as simple as this: A guy complained about the coffee, it was cold. I realized what it was - it was those heavy cups they'd use years ago - I put the cup under hot water for 30 seconds, poured the water out, then served him the coffee. "Excellent, my boy! This coffee is excellent." There it was. ... I used to work in the Borscht Belt, and you know the old story of the Borscht Belt: "OK, young man, what kind of juice do you have this morning?" Well, I told him, we have prune juice, pineapple juice, orange juice, grapefruit juice. "OK," the man says. OK, what? "OK, bring them all out!" ... You know that's it ... "I'll take them all."  An old story ...

  
NORTHSIDE S.F.: What did you learn in the Catskills as a kid?
   
KANBAR: Truth is, I enjoyed myself and made a couple of bucks instead of riding my bicycle around Brooklyn all day. In those days, there was a bus ride [to the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York], you could get a ride for a buck-and-a-half, two hours away from Manhattan, you got a dormitory cot. I didn't have to worry about my clothes getting stolen; I was too small. No one's gonna fit into my T-shirt. But I had a lot of fun. They were very good times.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: But didn't you already begin a career as an inventor in those early experiences?
   
KANBAR: A few years later, my college friend, Marvin, and I were at a dude ranch. We didn't know much about horses. Or girls. But we watched them. (The girls, that is.) One night, leaning up against the wall at a dance, I was wearing a sweater; I pulled away from the concrete wall and saw two fuzz balls on the wall, and figured out how they got there. I developed a little comb, called it De-Fuzz-It, and I was fortunate that it was a big success. Such a success meant that I was driven to continue this kind of of, well, work - this kind of, basically, invention.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: You're not the kind of person to retire.
   
KANBAR: Retire to what? That's the question. I guess I'm retired because I only do things that I enjoy. Most of the things that I do are new and exciting. My life is really blessed. I know guys who worked much harder and made less money. It's not the more you work, the more money you make. But to me, this is a gift.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: A lot of people have ideas, but you have managed to follow through with them? Isn't that rare??
   
KANBAR: As you know, I wrote a book, helping young inventors. It's called Secrets from an Inventor's Notebook, available on Amazon. I wrote the book to help young inventors, not to make money - because all of my royalties go to a scholarship fund at the NYU Film School. I'm happy about it. A lot of people tell me that I helped them because I guided them into understanding the difference between an idea and an invention. Lots of people have ideas, but they don't know how to follow through to make them into inventions. I describe how to protect yourself when you have an invention, and you're not in a position to spend $20,000 on patent lawyers, how to at least protect that invention. And how to go about making a model so you can show somebody, and maybe get that person to contribute money so you can develop this. Inventing is a wonderful way to make a living.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: But you've learned a great deal from your setbacks, your mistakes, no?
   
KANBAR: I have made mistakes, yes. Basically you make big mistakes when you don't really do your homework. Here's a long story. Someone dragged me into a Burger King. I had an empty cup. My friend says, "Go to the cold drinks over there and help yourself." This is America. There was Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, and all that. So, I could see that I could mix my own. I was trying to cut down my sugar intake, so I mixed some regular Coke and some Diet Coke, 20 percent regular, 80 percent diet. I thought, "This is great. I could market this cola and call it 80/20 Cola, which I put out on the market. I found out later - after spending a good deal of money on cans and things - that the profit was ridiculously low. On a 12-pack, Coke makes a dollar. So, you could make half-a-buck. I found out later that I'd only make 11 cents. I couldn't compete. I couldn't afford an advertising budget, and all that. I had to close it down.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Be prepared. Know everything.
   
KANBAR: Say I'm getting a new hot water heater. OK. I want to know everything about hot water heaters. I'm just curious.  Natural curiosity. How does this work, and why is that going there? I might come up with an invention here, for all I know. To me, there are opportunities everywhere.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: But most people don't care at all about hot water
heaters ...
   
KANBAR: Most people just want to go through life not caring - as long as it works. I have a favorite question. A 110-pound woman gets into a big Cadillac; it weighs 4,000 pounds. She gets in, turns on the ignition, presses the accelerator, and in no time, in seconds, she's moving at 60 miles-an-hour, a mile-a-minute. Does she have a notion how this thing works? No. She puts gasoline in the car and it goes. She doesn't care how. I ask, "How does this miracle work? How do the lights work? What's a battery?

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Yes, but you are also an engineer and a chemist ...
  
KANBAR: It's true that I have a great advantage. But I might also ask about clothing. I don't know anything about sewing, but I can see the difference in the fabrics. I might ask, "How can I make a better, a more improved coffee cup?"  Maybe not enough to make an invention, just something to think about. Sometimes the hardest thing is to get people to think. I watch these young men walking around with iPods in their ears. They don't want to think. They have this music blasting in their ears, so they don't have to think. I find thinking the most pleasant of pastimes.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: You may or may not have improved on the coffee cup, but you have improved on the knife, yes?
   
KANBAR: I have improved on the knife, but that's an improvement, opposed to an invention. I got to understand a lot about metallurgy. The truth is that most people like to save pennies, and they give you a knife that will cut a tomato, but it loses its sharpness very quickly. The key is two things, (1) the kind of alloy you use, which costs a little more, and (2) the annealing process, which changes the metal, and stays sharp for a long time. I was so frustrated with knives that I decided to make one myself that's a little more expensive. It's sharp, but it's razor-sharp. My friends love it and it might sell one day, but to me, the mere fact that we made it, and it works well, is satisfactory enough. It pleases me.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: You mention movies and the NYU Film School - the Kanbar Institute of Film & Television at NYU - you have always loved movies, haven't you?
   
KANBAR: I've always loved movies because I love storytelling. Before media as we know it, they had storytellers go from village to village. People would throw pennies or shekels or whatever. The moment man started to think, he became interested in some story. That's what movies are - extremely powerful in influencing thought. During the Stalin regime, they said they had to get into the movie business.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Your name has become associated with the San Francisco film scene, as it were; certainly you are a major supporter of the San Francisco International Film Festival ...
   
KANBAR: I support the S.F. Film Society, which puts on the S.F. Film Festival, which puts on films from 80 countries, good films that represent all points of view, political views. I think we do a service to the community. Young people who look at films from all sorts of countries wonder what a film is, who's making these films? If I were 20 today, I'd be a filmmaker. With digital equipment, I could make a feature-length movie for $20,000, which is like nothing. I could then get a print and a negative for $200 a minute - an hour-and-a-half film costs another $18,000. I can show it in any theater I like, because theaters can show 35mm film. Who knows? You can get a hit for very little money. Kids today are only limited by their talent and their ability. At the Kanbar Institute at NYU, we have students making films, even if the film lasts 12 minutes, you can say, this kid's got talent. A 12-minute film is a helluva resume, and a kid could get a job in Hollywood with that.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Are you still backing the KQED show about independent film?
   
KANBAR: Yes, I'm still backing Image Makers on KQED, which shows new independent movies. It's a place for a young filmmaker to get his movies shown on TV.
   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: What is Robert Redford doing in San Francisco - did he buy the Kabuki Theater - did Sundance buy the theater?
   
KANBAR: I don't know if Redford bought the theater or took a long-term lease, but he's controlling the Kabuki. He's made more comfortable seats, it's more upscale, making going to the movies a little more comfortable. What you don't want to hear in the movie theater business is someone saying, "I can watch this at home!" You want it to be different. Comedy is something that works in the theater better than home. It's easier to laugh if there are people around you laughing.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: You have great passion about writers in movies ...
   
KANBAR: In any movie, the most important thing is writing because Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt are reading lines - and the accolades go to the actors. The San Francisco Film Festival and the Film Society now gives the Kanbar Writing Prize. We gave Paul Haggis the award, last year we gave it to Pete Morgan, a terrific guy, who wrote The Queen with Helen Mirren, and he wrote The Last King of Scotland. I think writing is key - you need a good script.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Why is S.F. not a bigger deal in the world of filmmaking?
   
KANBAR: I think San Francisco beats L.A. by a mile - but the business is there. It's very expensive to make a movie here. The unions command a higher price, cost of living is higher. I'm on the Film Commission. We try our damnedest to bring movies here. Phil Kaufman makes movies here, Chris Columbus makes movies here. And we have Robin Williams - who is an extraordinary talent. Well, we keep trying.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Do you like to be known as a world famous inventor or a notable patron of the arts?
   
KANBAR: I don't know if there's a real benefit accrued for being well-known. People who are famous get pestered in restaurants and all that. That's a terrible life. If I do some philanthropy, it's because I think the cause is good. It's not for accolades. I don't need any recognition. The only judge you have to satisfy is your own judgment of who you are. If you think you've done a good thing, well, that's reward enough.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Do you get pestered a lot?
   
KANBAR: One of the problems with giving something is when they see your names, there are a hundred charities asking for help. It depends on what it is ... I feel OK ... I helped 100 kids who may have had a cleft lip. There are many countries where people are blind because of cataracts. Now an operation on a cataract might cost $20. That's nothing to spend to help people see, but I don't want my name on
that. It gives me so much pleasure to help here.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: But I do see your name prominently displayed ...
   
KANBAR: Oh, yes, sure. Again, if you give substantial sums of money ... you know, both my parents died of heart failure, so I gave, supported the Cardiac Center at CPMC, and they honored me by putting my name on that. Fine, I'm delighted. I think my parents would be proud of that. I think I might go that way, too. There's some cancer in my family, but a lot of heart disease.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Are you optimistic about the world condition right now?
   
KANBAR: No, I wish I were, but I am more disturbed today than I have ever been in my life. People are more irrational. I don't see much of a chance for peace. I see Muslims killing Muslims. It's beyond my comprehension. With the incredible surge of young people willing to give up their lives, to run a car or a truck with a bomb into a mosque. I'm very upset about them doing that in America. Not only is there the initial damage, it then creates situations where you can't go 10 steps without going through a metal detector. It's really, really sad ... I can't think of a solution. I am quite depressed ... about the world situation ... yes, depressed ...

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Do you think extraordinarily bright people are depressed anyway?
   
KANBAR:Yes, I think that's true. They see all the good - and they see all the bad. But somehow the bad sticks with them. That's depressing.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: I know you lend support to political figures. Have you ever thought about political office for yourself?
   
KANBAR: I've never thought of politics myself. But I think of political solutions. I am a Libertarian. I hope government becomes less and less. For example, if you have a problem with immigration, you do not have to build a fence. All you have to do is say is if you employ illegal immigrants, then you'll be fined $1,000, the second offense, $10,000, third offense, $25,000 and a fourth offense, you put them in jail for six months. You'll find that no one will employ illegal persons, and they will go away. You don't have to deport them.
  
 Now the owner of a winery in Napa will say, "I can't do that! I know they're illegal, but I need them to pick the grapes." Who's gonna pick the grapes? The only advantage to hiring illegal workers is to pay them less. They say, "There are jobs that Americans will not do!" Baloney. They won't do it at that price. Pay them $25 an hour, and they'll clean toilets.  The problem is the total cost of supporting illegal immigrants. We have to send the kids to school, give them health care, put them on welfare during off-season. The Mayor says The City is a sanctuary for illegals. That's cuckoo. In any event, I just gave you a solution: You don't have to build fences.

   
NORTHSIDE S.F.: Is there something else you'd like to do with your life - something that is calling you?
   
KANBAR: Well, I am reminded of a film, a Charles Chaplin film called Limelight. In the film, he's talking to Claire Bloom. He says to her, "I remember one day I was walking with my dad at Christmastime, and we passed a toy store, and I pointed to a toy in the store, and said, ‘Dad, isn't that a wonderful toy?' But I knew we were too poor to get toys. My father looked at me, pointed to his head, and said, ‘Son, this is the greatest toy ever given man.'" I never forgot that. This is the greatest toy. If you have this, you never have a reason to be bored. You may have a reason to be lonely, but bored - never. Don't put an iPod in your ears - then you'll still be bored.
   
I am frugal with my time,
because time wasted is never recovered. Money wasted can always be recovered.