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Observations, Social Anthropology, Mirth, Mayhem, & Much More
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I've had a blast appearing in films and look forward to appreaing in a lot more of them. What greater joy could there be than being flat and immortal?
Here's the interview I did for an upcoming book on the Indie horror Film Scene by Dusty Fleischman -- huh? Very flattered .How did you first get involved in horror? I think it all probably started because I was born on the day the original 'Psycho' was released and horror has pretty much been a theme in my life ever since. Being scared has always made me feel so much more alive...I am an adrenaline junkie...but an armchair one. I am a big movie whore. I got involved in horror as a voyeur and eventually I discovered that exhibitionist side that said, "Hey I want to be slaughtered too!" What makes you stay in horror? Love, and destiny. What makes you stay with anything? It defines who I am. I'm drawn to it. Horror is my magnetic north. I talk to so many people in the field via the horror site www.racksandrazors.com -- I am the interview guru. Horrorwise I am interested in everything and want to know it all. The only thing I am not that into are vampires and zombies. On a viewer level I am a bit tired of those trends. That's not to say I wouldn't jump at the chance to be in a movie with either. Haunted houses have always been my favorites. Give me the original 'The Haunting', 'The Uninvited', 'The Changeling', 'The Innocents', 'The Legend of Hell House' --- it's all about atmosphere. I love that stuff. Tell us about Chubby Killer? Well, what can I say except I have the best death scene ever. So happy with that. Chris Kahler, the director/editor of my segment, is an absolute genius. He sees everything through the camera's eye. We turned my segment into a slasher flick homage -- editing mania -- down to a reflecton of my being killed in a shiney tea kettle. Great death. I am attacked in my home and eventually suffocated in a cake. As a note to those curious about getting their face smashed into a cake...be the one to buy your own cake...my face was smashed into a SINGLE layer cake. I have a decent sized nose on me, the sort of nose that needs a good double layer cake to soften the blow of your head being smashed downward. Tell us about your role in the film? Debbie Rochon (my goddess) plays my dead wife. We asked the scream queen supreme to use her photo on the grave and then photoshopped this ridiculous wedding picture of us onto a tombstone. Hilarious. She was such a good sport about it. Anyway, my character (Michael) goes to visit her grave, gets mugged, has his car stolen which is then used for no-good, and is finally murdered when the killer returns it. Sort of a bad day overall for my character wouldn't you say? That said I have been told by Ruben Rox - the man behind it all - the grand puppeteer of TCK that I am also going to be in 'The Chubby Killer II' but I have no idea in what capacity -- in a flashback, as a rotting but frosted corpse or what. What other films have you done? What were they about? What would you like to share about those films? Horrorwise? I am in the vampire bat flick 'To Walk the Night' in the movie within the movie segment. The clip playing is from 'Don't Play With the Toys' where I am ravaged by dildoes while taking a back -- so dignified. I play a tight-assed newscaster reporting on the world being overrun by zombies in 'Always Midnight'. I've done lots of student and experimental films primarily for director James Fotopoulos. I have been in three of his...one played at the MOMA in New York for a month. Lots of odds and ends...I played a bored store clerk in 'Butch Camp' with Judy Tenuta. Tell me about the best experience you have had on a film set? It's all good. Just knowing that I am being made flat and immortal is a kick. Like I said, I take oafish delight in the entire process. The best though would probably be my death scene in 'The Chubby Killer'. Dying on screen is the best. It's offscreen that it kind of sucks. And the worst? It's not the worst, just the most challenging. Most surreal is working with blue screen and I've done that a couple times with the films from James Fotopoulos. In an adaptation of surrealist Eugene Ionesco's 'The Hard Boiled Egg' I play a traffic cop who is hit by a cab. Now, this was blue screen so there was no cab...I had to simulate being hit by a cab and they would superimpose that later. Imagine trying to feign the impact and being thrown. It turned out well. But to just do it in front of a roomful of people is sort of like being asked "Would you please make an ass of yourself"...the funny thing is that of course I complied. And I am EXCELLENT at making an ass of myself in front of people only usually it isn't captured on film. All I need is the slightest incentive. Have you done many appearances at conventions, what is your most memorable experience at a show? You flatter me! I have only been to conventions as a patron. I love them. The best value in Amerca today! Seriously, the next time one comes to your area - go, you won't be sorry. I remember the first one I went to I was running around like a freak going "Oh my God Brinke Stevens, oh my God Tom Savini, Oh my God Michelle Bauer, oh my God Dick Durock, oh my God Bill Hinzman, oh my God Ginger Lynn..." I gushed. I grovelled. I fawned. I begged for and joyfully bought autographed photos and basically had about a half dozen orgasms. The horror folks are the best. They LOVE their fans. There is such a wonderful sense of comraderie. I have been to other conventions where it's just across-the-board entertainment and sometimes the stars are less than gracious. I am sorry, but Pamela Sue Martin...loved you in The Poseidon Adventure, as Nancy Drew and Fallon on Dynasty but Jesus what a complete BITCH on the convention circuit! Her shit wouldn't float at a horror fest! How do you feel about your fans? Do I have them? If so I love them no matter what they have done. A handful of people have said complimentary things but I just figured they wanted a blow job or something. I'm kidding. If this is true (about having fans) I would say my appeal is probably the "Hell, look at me -- I am in a picture show" sort of carnival attitude I have towards the whole thing. I am the anti-professional in that I view this as some wonderfully fun adventure that I get to be a part of. Yeehaw! Really, horror has more opportunities than any other genre. All you really have to be to get involved is an interest, balls, and the follow through to basically say, "I will do anything in your movie." And be prepared to grovel. Indie directors love that - it gives them a big old power rush. Oh, and I am also a massage therapist so having that skill on a film set can be an added perk as well. One of the purposes behind this book is to get a behind the scenes feel for the making of low budget, no budget films, what is a typical day on the set like for you? Every minute of it I am pretty much in hog heaven. It's Disneyland on the Darkside. As I've said, this has got to be a labor of love. Days are long and it would be so tedious unless you are having fun. If you aren't enjoying it then run far away. If you don't get a rush from it, forget it. I think the energy you feel when you watch a movie (especially a low budget one) is the harnessed energy of all the excitement on set. All that focussed cooperation in turning out a good product. That feeling of being a part of something is really its own reward. Remember that - you are A PART OF this...so be prepared to help out however you can. The movie is bigger than any of the individuals. Collaborative art for little money has to be a united effort or the result will be crap. If you aren't willing to go the distance there's no point. And if it's not for love there's no reason to dedicate this much time and energy for little or no pay. I've never been paid I don't think - or maybe symbolically like $1 or something. People without this celluloid-gene just don't get it and there's really no way to explain. Any thoughts on directing or producing? Too much responsiblity I think. I love control but stress sucks. The closest I've come to producing was mostly in the symbolic sense. I did act as executive producer and had the smallest cameo imaginable - I was a photo on a wall as Colonel Spudnik in Lucien Eisenach's 'Sea Creatures from Outer Space'. I am much more interested in writing some good (hell, great) screenplays. You're much more likedly to see my name in the credits there. CREDITS: I have appeared as a cameraman in 'Requiem for the Final Exposure' (some dialogue), as the butler in James Fotopoulos’ (www.jamesfotopoulos.com) film version of the Samuel Beckett work ‘Shattered’ as well as his surreal filming of Ionesco's 'The Hard Boiled Egg' (which played to sold out crowds at New York's MOMA), as well as a crazed cowboy in Mr. Fotopoulos' original production of 'Sky Song'. I was lead character Tony Ferranti in the Paul Wilson directed spoof 'An Affair to Dismember', as a manic/anal retentive camp counselor in 'Miss Lake Luther', as Gary in the film short 'Soap Opera' (which included some voice-over-work), as a dockworker in 'Apples and Oranges', as a bored bookseller in 'Butch 'Camp' (starring Judy Tenuta/Q Film Connection), Colonel Spudic in Lucien Eisenach’s 50s sci-fi parody ‘The Sea Creature from Outer Space’, a newscaster in Evet Socrates sci-fi flick ‘Astrolux’, as David’s Uncle in Ray Bradbury’s ‘The Small Assassin’ (Beverly Productions), as murder victim Michael in the Ruben Rox film 'The Chubby Killer’, as another murder victim (killed by dildos) in ‘Don’t Play With the Toys’ (the movie within a movie in the vampire flick ‘To Walk The Night’), as newscaster #1 in the vampire opus ‘Always Midnight’. In addition I’ve also done extra work in 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' and ‘The Trouble With Dee Dee’ (Cinemetro Films), was Jeff Wild in Takaaki Sato’s film ‘A Girl in the Forest’, had a supporting role as a determined political campaign manager in Bijou Films' 'Red, Hot and Blue’ as well as half a dozen or so varying roles in student films including Bryan Stusse's 'Laughter'.
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Here's a shot from 'The Chubby Killer'. I've just been "smothered" in the cake scene. Genius director, editor, & composer Chris Kahler is the guy with the shit-eating grin behind me.
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Sea Creatures From Outer Space
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A Girl in the Forest
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An Affair to Dismemember
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Silliness on the set of 'Always Midnight'. I am a newscaster who refuses to believe in such things as the undead. I enjoy playing pricks. To check out more about the gore filled Falcon release click here.
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