Interview with Catherine Bell

Catherine Bell is the star of TNT’s “Good Morning Killer,” which premieres Tuesday, December 13. Catherine is also known for her role in TV series like “Jag” and “Army Wives”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Catherine about her new movie and what we can expect.

Mike Smith: Did you enjoy the experience of playing the character, Ana Grey?
Catherine Bell: Yes, I really did. I’d never played an FBI agent and found it fascinating just trying to get into the mind of a kidnapper, a rapist and track this guy. It sounds very fascinating. Obviously it was based on a wonderful novel, so we had a lot of things to draw from. It has been a very rich, rewarding experience actually.

MS: There are several other novels featuring your character. Is this something you’d like to continue doing later again revisiting this?
CB: I would love to. It’s actually something we talked about from the beginning. It ended up being such a wonderful filming experience. I think for all of us involved that we were instantly hoping to do more. So hopefully it goes in that direction.

MS: Is there an aspect of this character that you connect with or you really just didn’t like?
CB: I actually found her fascinating. She’s not a perfect woman by any means. She’s very smart, very good at her job, very much in control there. But very much not in control in her personal life, picks very bad relationships.  She definitely has some issues, which I found as an actress really fun to play.

MG: If IMDB is to be believed, William Devane started working the year you were born. What was it like working with such a veteran actor?
CB: It was fantastic. He plays my grandfather in the script as a great character, kind of just a crotchety old cop who thinks he knows better then me. He thinks the FBI are a bunch of whooses, so we have this sort of love-hate relationship. We had a blast. He’s definitely been around and knows how to fill a character’s shoes. It was really fun.

MS: What were some of your favorite moments that you had from filming on, “Good Morning Killer?”
CB: Oh, let’s see. So many. It was really, really one of the best experiences I’ve had filming, both the story and everyone involved in making it. All the actors were really wonderful from Cole Hauser and Titus Welliver and some great, great talent. But I don’t know. I loved doing the scenes that involved the killer, the bad guy. Those were – without giving anything away or what kind of scenes they were, very intense and very emotional and, yes, kind of very challenging to shoot a well. But yes, those are probably my favorite I would have to say.

MS: Why do you think people will want to take the time to watch, “Good Morning Killer”?
CB: Well, if they’re anything like me, they like to be entertained and so many people – myself included – like mysteries and thrillers and I know I’ve always been fascinated with serial killers. And to me it’s fascinating. So to have something that’s based on such a wonderful novel with such a great story I think makes for some good, fun popcorn-eating, soda-drinking movie watching.

MG: What’s your workout routine like to stay in shape for these roles?
CB: You know, most of the workout is done before we start filming. Once we start filming, honestly, especially something like this where I’m in every single scene, every day. I don’t think I had a day off on this one. So it becomes harder and harder to work out. You’re getting more and more tired and you just do a few pushups here and there, sit ups, you know, in the morning. But before I start filming, it’s pretty rigorous. I definitely do, like, an hour, hour and a half, sometimes up to two hours a day just getting in shape, lean and strong. Also doing some martial arts and whatever else I can depending on the role.

MS: What other projects are working on?
CB: Well, let’s see, we’ve got – I’m doing Army Wives right now. We just got picked up for ten more episodes in this season. I’ll be busy for a little while and we’ll do 23 episodes now. Also hoping to for maybe another “Good Morning Killer” movie or series after “Army Wives”. I have also some other projects that I’m working on as well as the producer and developing. I’m always busy…always working on something.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: bell, catherine, interview

Interview with Andy Sipes & Dana Snyder

Andy Sipes & Dana Snyder are the guys behind the AdultSwim.com’s latest web series “Songs for Helping”. It is about angels that give bad advise to people through songs. Andy is known for his work on Adult Swim with “Minoriteam” and “Saul of the Mole Men”. Dana is known for voicing various character on Adult Swim like Master Shake in “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Granny” from “Squidbillies”. Media Mikes had a blast chatting with the guys about this web series and what we can expect from the episodes.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your new web series “Songs for Helping”?
Andy Sipes: We wanted to come up with something like a “Dear Abby” column. We thought that was a funny place to start and we are big fans of musical parodies. So we figured we can a really jerky little angels that sing and give terrible advice.
Dana Snyder: Whatever he said…I say that. But it was probably just me since I thought of it.
Andy Sipes: [laughs]

MG: This is your third/fourth project now, what keeps you guys working together?
DS: An unfortunately string of bad decisions…mostly on Andy’s part. He usually says “This is the last time Dana and never again”. Then somehow I find a way to finagle him in [laughs].

MG: How many episodes can we expect from the series?
DS: Right now we are going to have nine. There will be a new one every week at http://adultswim.com/songs every Monday…unless AdultSwim.com is on a vacation day then it would be Tuesday. So it probably means every single week it will be up on a Tuesdays [laughs].

MG: How long does each take to complete to develop?
AS: The first season was a little bit of trial and error. We really only had a rough idea of what the series would be. We tried a number of different things.
DS: We tried everything from live action on green screen. We tried every possibility on what we thought we could do [laughs].
AS: We decided we have these character designs that Dana did and we decided just to do a straight animated show. We know a lot of really good people that helped us. It was really a fun process overall.

MG: What it always planned as a web series?
DS: Yes.
AS: Yeah we have talked about developing it further. We love it as a little one and half to two minute song that you can pass on to your friends.

MG: How do you come up with the lyrics to the songs?
DS: We really didn’t come up with all the lyrics. I did write all the lyrics though on one of them.
AS: …Umm, all the lyrics were only three words…but…[laughs]
DS: We had a great writing team of Mike Geier and Shannon Newton. We, sort of, gave them more of a premise…since we didn’t want to limit them. Once Shannon wrote the lyrics then we would re-write the lyrics.
AS: There were two or three that we did the first pass on. We would write and then give to her or she would write and give to us. It was a great collaborative effort between Shannon Newton, Mike Geier, Dana and I.

MG: Who is doing the actual singing in the songs? Why didn’t you sing the songs yourself?
AS: That is all Mike Geier. He did all the music and does all the singing.
DS: No reason why. Mike is great, I have done a lot of live shows with him. He is an incredible musician and singer. We though it would be funny to have the other angel, whose name is Bert, would do all the singing but never actually speak [laughs].

MG: Tell us about what we expect from future songs?
AS: Get ready though because the songs get more increasing bizarre as we go.
DS: The two songs that are up now are the first ones we ever thought of.
AS: When picking which order they would air…I think we figured that these two wouldn’t scare people off [laughs].
DS: [laughs] You don’t wanna dive in first with the songs about someone who has a permanent erection. Better to save that for a little later.

MG: Dana, you also worked on the character design; tell us about that process?
DS: Well, that is a very good question. Mostly I was sitting across from Andy in our office and then giggling because I tried to draw it better but not having anyone to draw it for us. [laughs]. I thought “Ha, how hard can it possibly be”…it was pretty hard. I am not going to lie…it took a lot of time.
AS: I think that was always the plan for you to sketch something out real quick and then we will get a real artist to draw. Then we said “Wait a second, these are really good… let’s just use these”.
DS: Yeah we keep looking at them thinking that these guys looked like such little jerks [laughs]. The finishing touch was putting them in gold high heels. I don’t know why but I think it does finish it off quite nicely.

MG: What do you each of you like most about working on this project?
DS: Well I think for this one especially is it was very exciting because we would have these concepts and ideas but then all of sudden getting it back from Mike (Geier) and it is this whole complete song. It sounds like a real song…not like something we could have done. That was super exciting. Then on top of that were sending the song to our animators for the second thrill. It was great seeing what the animators did with it. They said “Yeah we threw it come crazy rainbows” and we were totally digging it.
AS: I think with Dana and I and our experience with what we have done, it was really great to see something start to finish like this that we wrote and created. That is the best thing in working in the entertainment business. We were 100% happy with it.
DS: I also think we didn’t have a lot of people involved with this. But everyone we did have involved added to this a lot. While passing through everyone’s hands, it just got better and better for us as well as more interesting and funny.

MG: Dana, When do you start-up on season 9 of “Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1”?
DS: I actually just recorded two episodes earlier this week. They were really good. Then I also got a new “Squidbillies” upcoming. I do believe that they are almost starting new “The Venture Brothers”. I think it is coming really soon also.

MG: Andy, after this web series, what do you have planned next?
AS: I am writing a script right now with my writing partner, Matt Mariska, for Comedy Central. It is a half-hour sitcom. Then I am just pitching around town to whomever would take a meeting with me.
DS: Literally throwing baseballs at them. You actually have to go to the local park to see his pitching.

 

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: andy, dana, interview, sipes, snyder

Interview with Fred Willard

Fred Willard recently appeared in the 100th episode of “The Closer”, which aired on December 5th on TNT.  He is known best for his roles with Christopher Guest’s mockumentary films like “This is Spinal Tap”, “Waiting for Guffman”, “Best in Show”, “A Mighty Wind” and “For Your Consideration”.  He also has voiced characters in Disney’s “Chicken Little” and Disney/Pixar’s “Wall-E”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Fred about his appearance on “The Closer”.

Mike Smith: What was it about this particular role that drew you work on “The Closer”.
Fred Willard: Well it was being able to play Santa Claus. I always thought for years that I would make a good a Santa Claus. You always hear about Santa’s being angry and impatient and I said, I would be a good Santa. I don’t know in actuality how long I would last in a mall or department store, but I always wanted to give it a try. But anyway, I also love everything about Christmas and doing a show about Christmas in September kind of stretches the season out. So one problem with Christmas it comes, you know there’s so much work involved and it comes and suddenly Christmas is over. So, it kind of expands the season.

MS: Was there anything in particular you found challenging about playing a Santa besides being in a suit so long?
FW: I was going to say, yes, well I had to play, several scenes I was pretty drunk. I’d you know relax with some alcohol along the way. I mean, as the character, so that was the tough thing because a lot of times it’s shot out of sequence. So I had to be very drunk before I was mildly drunk and then sober, just recovering from a hangover before the drinking scene. I think in all, we had a very good, the director seemed to be on top of it. So I think it flows very nicely.

MS: What was it like working with Kyra Sedgwick?
FW: Kyra was wonderful. She’s just very sweet. I had just a couple of scenes with her, but the nice thing about the show like that; you don’t really feel like an outsider. Everyone in the cast just treated me very friendly like, we’re so glad you’re here and just none of them were standoffish or the only one who told me what to do of course was the director.

MS: I know you’ve done a lot of guest appearances on television shows. When you appear on a show that is established, as “The Closer” is, when you approach the role do you try to get more of a feel of the show, of the cast before you take it on?
FW: Oh yes, definitely. You want to get it because every show has a little different tone to it. So you don’t want to go in you know, over the top, you don’t want to go in too subtly. Plus you rely on lot on, you’re on the set and you see how the other actors are acting and it’s a very realistic show. My character was a bit over the top, but the other performers were playing it very much like a procedure, you know, there had been a murder committed and they were really trying to get to the bottom of who did it. You go in with that, I was a fan of the show anyway. So, it kind threw me a little to be on the set suddenly with all these people some of, a couple of whom I’d known personally before doing the show. But suddenly, you go from reality into a fictional world where these people actually exist and you adopt very quickly.

MS: As someone that is a fan of the show, when you take a role on the show, do you have to kind of lose your knowledge of the show, know who the characters are when you’re approaching character that theoretically is new to them?
FW: Well, yes, my character in the episode comes from a whole different world. I believe I’m Santa Claus and I run a Santa village. And I’ve had a little bit of alcohol over the couple of days during the investigation. I’m kind of acting through that, coming in kind of questioning the authority and being kind of a indignant and sometimes angry and sometimes very silly. So, it wasn’t like the usual where I’m someone who is being investigated and is trying to be cunning or trying to outwit them. So it was a whole kind of a whole different role.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: fred, interview, willard

Interview with Steve Niles

Steve Niles is a the man behind the comic book/graphic novel series “30 Days of Night” and “Criminal Macabre”. Steve is a huge horror fan and has recently worked with genre greats like John Carpenter and Lance Henriksen. He is also creating a new series called ““Frankenstein Alive, Alive”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat about his comic work and his love for horror.

Mike Gencarelli: Out of the two “30 Days of Nights” movies do you feel one is closer to the graphic novel?
Steve Niles: For me it’s not even a question of which one was closer to the graphic novel. It was really about whether or not if the film was going to be a good vampire/horror movie. David Slade in the first film delivered exactly what I wanted. Even with the differences from the novel the film really achieved being just a good scary movie. I owe all that to David Slade and Sam Raimi.

MG: Do you have plans to do any more cross over projects?
SN: We were originally offered the characters from “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm St.” I loved all those characters but I couldn’t see how we could marry those characters into the world of “30 Days of Night”. When the idea of “X-Files” was brought up it was kind of perfect. It sort of effortlessly all went together. By the end I was really enjoying writing Mulder and Scully. I don’t know if they want to do anymore in the future but if they are I am definitely interested.

MG: Have you ever thought about doing a crossover with one of your other properties?
 SN: I try not to get too caught up with all the cross over stuff but, there is always the possibility. I just did one with “Criminal Macabre” for Dark Horse which was really fun.

MG: What can you tell us about “Remains” being made into a film?
SN: I am a producer on that. It’s kind of an experiment in a way as we really have no budget. I know there is a way to do TV movies that can be really entertaining and, I think we have a way to do it. Chiller has been amazing. I am waiting right now to see an edit. The whole thing from deal to screen was done in under a year. Everyone is really enthusiastic and doing what they can to get this out.

MG: Do you have any status on “Wake to Dead”?
SN: Jay Russell and I have the screen play. We are trying to find a reliable production company to get the movie made. The biggest problem in Hollywood is getting something made.

MG: Do you think we will ever see a “Criminal Macabre” film adaptation?
SN: It all comes down to a studio decision. I can put in my votes and I think there are a lot of people out there that could play Cal McDonald. You can never predict with studios. We still don’t have a screen play. Money keeps getting thrown out the window and I have yet to be given the chance to try writing one. It’s kind of sad. Until something happens nothing is happening.

MG: How did you come to work with Lance Henriksen?
SN: It was a strange series of coincidences. I had done a small guest spot on a friend’s TV show and he told me that he was friends with Lance. He told me that Lance had written a book and was looking for a publisher. Before I knew it I was publishing Lance’s biography. It’s a great book about working in Hollywood. I am really appreciative that I was given the chance to something like this.

MG: How was it working with John Carpenter?
SN: That was really great. I had met Jon on another project. He and I hit it off really well. I was offered the chance to do a video game and asked if I could bring along a friend. I knew Jon knows and plays a lot of video games. They said yes and I had a lot of fun. The game seems to be a pretty good representation of the story. It was a total nerd moment!

MG: What are you currently reading and do you have any favorite artists?
SN: I don’t get to read a lot of current comics. What I am reading right now is a bunch of pros. I am also reading a really cool book about Frankenstein. I am reading everything I can about Frankenstein right now. Artist wise I am working with my favorite artist. I am doing a “30 Days of Nights” series with Sam Keith, I am working with Bernie Wrightson and Chris Mitton. I am really lucky guy. There are bunch of other guys out there that I would love to work with but they are contracted to Marvel and DC. Someday I will get them.

MG: What can you tell us about “Frankenstein Alive, Alive”?
SN: I am currently putting the first episode together. It picks up right where Mary Shelley’s novel leaves off. It is 13 issues of the creature on his own going through history trying to understand who he is. This is a childhood dream come true.

MG: Can you give us any information on your upcoming series “Transfusion”?
SN: I can tell you that it started as a joke. I had thrown out the idea of doing robots vs. vampires and I ended up really thinking about it. The idea came for this post-apocalyptic story where these robots were made to run on blood. I just wrote the first issue and I am working with an amazing artist named Menton. He and I are just blasting away on this project. It was an unexpected thing and it is really only about a month in the works. I am having a lot of fun doing it.

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Filed Under: Art/Theatre, Interviews Tagged With: interview, niles, steve

Interview with Randal Malone

Randal Malone is known best for playing the role of Gacey in “Dahmer vs. Gacey” and his role in “Frankenstein Rising”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Randal about his films and also what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: What do you enjoy most about working in the horror genre?
Randal Malone: I was very blessed to find my niche as an actor in horror films. Growing up I loved all the Hammer horror films as well as the Universal films. I knew I was going to be an actor but I never thought about doing so many horror films. I always loved watching the actors in those horror films. I never thought it would be an entire career for me. After I did the “Singled Out” a lot of these horror directors and studios approached me. Things were one right after the other over the years and it just became my thing. I was very lucky as an actor to have found my niche.

MG: Can you tell us about working on “Dahmer vs. Gacey”?
RM: I loved the idea from the beginning. I was very excited and lucky to be involved with the film. It was really fun to play the Gacey character. There were a lot of great costumes and makeup. It was just a lot of fun working on that film.

MG: How was it working with Ford Austin?
RM: I had worked with him on some other films. He had been my director on a film titled “The Curse of Lizzy Borden”. I had played opposite of him in a film titled “Evil Ever After”. We also worked together on “Blood Bath” and “Blood Legend”. We did this fantastic movie after “Dahmer vs. Gacey” called “Rat Scratch Fever”. Ford is really wonderful and a great director. He is a marvelous actor and a joy to work with. Ford is very gifted.

MG: What are the chances of the “Dahmer vs. Gacey: In Space” being made?
RM: I think it’s very likely. Ford was hurt recently in a car accident but he is doing much better. It’s going to take some time but, I think there will be a sequel and quite possibly a 3rd film. Ford is very motivated.

MG: How did you prepare for your role in “Frankenstein Rising”?
RM: I had always loved the Frankenstein genre as well as the story. I had always wanted to play the Frankenstein monster. There is a lot to portray and I thought it would be a wonderful thing. I knew and was good friends with Mae Clarke who was in the original 1931 film. She was an inspiration to my career. We had talked a lot about her making the movie as well as my wanting to play the monster. When the opportunity finally came to me I was very busy. I was working on two films as well as a television project. Something very rare in Hollywood then happened. They agreed to wait till I had time. I will never forget their kindness. It was an amazing experience! I got to work with Jerry Maren who played the munchkin that handed Judy Garland the lollipop in “The Wizard of Oz”. I also got to work with the great Margaret O’Brien and Anita Page. This film was actually Anita’s last film.

MG: When do you think the film will be released?
RM: It is done. We hope that it will be out soon. I think they are just waiting for the best offer.

MG: What other projects do you have in the works?
RM: There are a lot of things in the works. What I would really like to do is more Frankenstein work. It was a lot of fun but we will have to wait and see. There will probably be more horror films. Even if the script isn’t that great but the role/character is great then that is something that is always exciting for an actor.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: interview, malone, randal

Interview with America Olivio

America Olivio is known for your roles in recent films like the remake of “Friday the 13th” and “Bitch Slap”. She also has recent work on Broadway’s “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” and is starring in the upcoming film “No One Lives”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with America about her work and what is coming up next.

MG: How did you get involved with the “Friday The 13th” remake?
AO: I got involved last minute which seems to be the case a lot of the time. Someone had been fired off the production and I received the call while I was working on “Bitch Slap”. There was still some work to be done on “Bitch Slap” and I was exhausted. I wasn’t really interested in being in “Friday the 13th Part 25” (Laughs) I was told no this was completely different and it was a fresh start for the franchise. I was just so tired but I said ok. As I read the script I really enjoyed it. I was wrapped early on “Bitch Slap” and then was immediately off to shoot in Aspen.

MG: Can you tell us about your role in “Bitch Slap”?
AO: That film took two years off my life for sure! I had the crap beat out of me. I am very proud of that film. It was definitely one of the hardest things I have done but also the most rewarding. We all were having fun but it was very difficult to pull off. Everyone involved in the project was there for the love of the project not the money. We shot in the middle of the Mojave Desert which was super cold in the morning and extremely hot during the day. I feel stronger from a lot of the stuff I learned on that shoot.

MG: Do you enjoy playing the “kick ass” female roles?
AO: Of course! No one wants to play the girlfriend/mom role. Strong women roles are not easy to come by. It was nice to get the opportunity that I got working on “Bitch Slap”.

MG: You do some of your own stunts correct?
AO: I do some of the stunts on normal films. (Laughs)  The real hardcore stuff I like to leave up to the pros. I don’t profess to be a stunt person as I haven’t had that training but I do try and do as much as I can. You really have to tip your hat to the pros

MG: Do you prefer working in one genre more than another?
AO: I like to work in the good genre. I like good projects. Not everything you read on a page turns out the way you envisioned it. I strive for projects that meet mine and the other people working on the project’s vision. I don’t really care what genre a project falls in as long as it’s something that is challenging to me and the people behind it have good intentions.

MG: What can you tell us about working on “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” on Broadway?
AO: That was another learning experience. I got to do a lot of wire work. Scott Rogers designed my rig. I was one of the first few people that got to try this harness that was specifically design for this production. The only way I can describe it is it was like riding in the front of Space Mountain but while singing. I was there for nine months and it was really great.

Mike Gencarelli: What can you tell us about your film “No One Lives”?
America Olivio: We shot that in Louisiana and it stars Luke Evans, Adelaide Clemens and Derek Magyar. It was directed by Ryuhel Kitamura who also directed “Midnight Meat Train”. He was amazing to work with. He has just a great eye for horror graphics. It’s an intense film about a group of thieves who have a kidnapping go wrong. The film is very different and the kills featured in the film are very unique. It was a lot of fun.

MG: What are you currently working on and or have coming out?
AO: “No One Lives” of course will be coming out as well as a film I did titled “Conception”. Both will be coming out sometime in 2012. I also will be appearing on “NCIS: Los Angeles”.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: america, interview, olivio

Syfy’s “Neverland” Interview Series

“Neverland,” a prequel to the popular children’s story “Peter Pan,” will begin airing on the SyFy Channel beginning with Part One on Sunday, December 4th and Part Two on Monday, December 5th. MediaMikes recently took part in a question and answer session with the film’s stars, Charlie Rowe, Rhys Ifans and Anna Friel and “Neverland” writer/director Nick Willing.

Mike Smith: Nick, what made you decide to write a prequel rather than do say a remake. How did you come up with the idea?
Nick Willing: I’m interested in the – I was interested in the genesis and how it is that a boy doesn’t want to grow up and I was interested in how it is that it ended up in a place called Neverland and what that was and why there were pirates and fairies and Indians there. I was just – you know, when I read the book I loved it so much that my imagination ran wild and I kind of wanted to know more of the facts of the story and I thought that would make quite an intriguing movie.

MS: How did you become involved in the project?
Anna Friel: Charlie, you go first. It’s your story.
Charlie Rowe: Well I mean I’d worked with Nick a long time ago on my very first job when I was nine and so the minute I heard that he was directing and he’d written this, I was – I just wanted to get involved. Originally I was going up for the part of Fox, Peter’s best friend. And I went out for that and I wasn’t too keen on it. And then I read the script and I was like, “mum, I just really want to go out for Peter” and then the next day Nick called and was like “I want you to go for Peter.” And so that was just absolutely amazing and I got the part eventually and I’m so glad I did. Thank you very much Nick.
NW: Yeah. I knew he was good but – because I had worked with him before, I thought I can’t work with him again. I’ve got – there must be some other kid out there. I must have seen 400 kids and then finally right at the end he walked in for Fox and I went “ah, shit…that’s Peter Pan. So it was – I should have gone with my first instinct, you know.”
AF: I loved it…and it was one of the best things I’d read. I loved the whole fantastic element of it. I loved the idea of playing a baddie and then a female baddie and introducing a new character. So it was a great stage with which to write with and I had a conversation with Nick on the phone and he spoke so eloquently about the story and what he intended to do with it and how to work within that story and how he could make that world become true and told me that it would be one of the most fun shoots I ever did and it ended up being that.
Rhys Ifans: Yeah. And I’d like to reiterate what Anna said. You know, I hadn’t met Nick. I was sitting in a bar in a beautiful village in Spain and I received this script and read it in one go and that’s kind of my measuring stick for any, you know, for any script. It’s if you don’t put it down, it’s worth considering and then Nick pretty much said the same to me that it would be a, you know, a joyous (occasion) telling a beautiful story and a story that explains another story that we’re all familiar with. And I just from a personal level – the Hook – Nick’s version goes a long way into describing the Hook we see in the novel into this – painting his psychosis and, you know, his arrival at the embodiment of evil.

MS: Nick, can you talk about the casting process and also if you wrote the story with any actors in mind?
NW: I wrote the part of Hook… I really wanted Rhys from the beginning. And even when that – because the thing about Rhys is that he’s – he does – he’s one of the few actors that is incredibly powerful and imposing on the screen but at the same time shows a certain vulnerability. Hook to me – if Hook as villainy could seem vulnerable, that would be cool I thought. And so I kind of had in my mind this tall figure or Rhys I have to admit. Anna too was – funny enough but also – I know it sounds weird but also – in fact, when I cast a movie, I always think who would be the best person and I just try and go for them, you know, and if I don’t – and if I get them, that’s fantastic. I’ve always been very lucky with this. Bob Hoskins too I thought I’d love – I mean because I’ve seen him obviously in Spielberg’s version. To me he was the embodiment of Smee. I couldn’t think of – I couldn’t get him out of my head when I was writing and I always imagined that he’d be perfect for Smee and indeed he said yes. I mean I was – so I kind of got three hits. And then with Charlie, I’ve just told you that story. It turned out to be perfect. So we were very, very lucky or at least I was very lucky to get all the people I kind of dreamed of and it’s proved to be, you know, true. I mean one of the things about making this film was that it was quite a collaborative process in all. You know, you’ve got to get together – there’s a little kind of team and working with these actors are perhaps one of the better experiences I’ve ever had.

MS: Rhys, Anna and Charlie, can you talk a little bit about the challenges of putting your mark on characters that people are so familiar with.
CR: Yeah. Well I mean I actually – it was my first proper big part and I was just more scared about actually being any good at acting. But I was lucky on set to have Rhys and Anna who really taught me a lot – just taught me a lot. They were – I’m very grateful for that. I felt that I went into doing the show as just a little kid really, a little child actor, and I think I’ve come out as an actor; or I’d like to think so anyway. Also looking at Nick and being around Nick all the time, I realized that he was actually – he was this character Peter that he’d written about. So I just used to look at how he was behaving and just replicated it really.
AF: Nick’s really set the tone for it also and he wanted individual and unique performances because it was part of the story that we’d never heard before and particularly from my character; she’d never – she was completely created and invented and it’s always hard to play or accept a character to play that people will maybe not like and to play it badly. And Nick said, “you may go as far as you want with that” and we had a great rehearsal process in which Rhys and I played around a lot. You know, the different characteristics and how those two came together and what made Hook be intrigued by this incredibly powerful woman who used her prowess and her femininity to get what she wanted.
RI: And you know I think just to pick up on what Charlie said, both Anna and I have said and I’m sure Nick would agree, that I was not working with a boy. I was working with a professional actor from the very beginning to the very end and then I can put my hand to my heart and say he is one of the most professional, eloquent young men I’ve ever, ever worked with so that was a pleasure from the oft.
CR: Thank you very much.
RI: You’re welcome. And you see him – not only did he – you see the character he plays become – you just see this huge change in the character he becomes. He develops and gets all these new sort of addled emotions and struggles with, you know, the morality that Hook and Bonny present him with and I think it’s a really, really mature performance. So throughout, you know, between him, Anna and Nick, I felt the safest I’ve ever felt.

MS: Did you have any involvement from the Barrie estate when you were putting this together initially?
NW: No. I don’t – I didn’t have any involvement in the Barrie estate. I mean the one I would have liked to call is Barrie himself. But unfortunately, of course, he’s no longer with us but I’d love to be able to call him and say, ” hey, what do you think?” But we’re always doing this of course and we’re always creating vivacious, variance on famous stories; you know, whether they be Shakespeare or the Greek myths and it’s always keeping them alive for us.

MS: Did they have to approve this project before it was made?
NW: No. No. The book is in the hands of the Great Ormond Street Hospital ; the original book was donated. I don’t believe there is creative voice as such that you can approach and ask about the story and the book but we did approach the hospital and we donated a large sum as a gesture of appreciation and good will but that’s kind of – that’s what we did but we didn’t – I don’t know anyone else to contact because the book belongs to the hospital.

MS: Rhys, you were brilliant in “Anonymous.” As an actor do you enjoy more doing a period piece – more of a period film than modern day?
RI: Well, the joy of the period film is your take into another world. And the costumes also I think in a period piece determines the way you move and consequently the way you breathe and when the way you breathe effects the way you think. So it is always kind of a more of a transformation.
And especially in this case and I guess in “Anonymous,” you know, it is joyous for any actor to enter other grounds of consciousness and thought and that’s always… at the end of the day we just like – we all like dressing up and playing around.

 

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: interview, neverland, series, syfys

Interview with Andrea Blaugrund Nevins & Jim Lindberg

Andrea Blaugrund Nevins is the writer and director of a new documentary titled “The Other F Word”. The documentary focuses on punk rock musicians and the difficulties they face as fathers. Jim Lindberg is a founding member of the California punk rock band Pennywise. Jim and the band have a very prominent role in the documentary which is based of of Jim’s book “Punk Rock Dad”. Media Mikes had a chance to talk with Andrea and Jim about the film.

Adam Lawton: Can You tell us how the idea for the film came about?
Andrea Blaugrund Nevins: Jimmy had put out a book titled “Punk Rock Dad”. I thought the book would be a great premise for a documentary. Jimmy had a lot of stuff going on at the time as Pennywise had a new album coming out and they were going on tour so everything tied in really well.

AL: What made you interested in writing the book?
Jim Lindberg: I have always been into writing and do quite a bit of it. I had the idea to put the book together about being in a band and being a father at the same time. We were throwing around ideas for titles and one of my friends said I should call it “Punk Rock Dad”.

AL: How long did you film for?
ABN: I think we filmed for about a year and a half. Jim was out on tour so we just kept adding footage. We also gave Jim a hand held camera which he used to capture some really great POV stuff.

AL: How did you decide who was going to be in the film?
ABN: Everyone who was in the film pretty much got involved through word of mouth. We would interview one person and they would say “oh you have to check out so an so”. We would go and interview them and then they would tell us about another great person to talk with. We really got a great group of people.
JL: It was great to have guys like Tony Hawk who don’t have the typical “punk rock” look however are still part of the scene. i myself don’t have tattoos or wear a leather jacket as I was never really into the look of punk rock. What drew me to the scene was the music. It was great to have guys like me shown along with the typical punk rock looking guys.

AL: Was it hard being filmed during the time of you leaving the band?
JL: I had told one of the guys in the band that I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep doing what we were doing. They had some knowledge that I was unhappy so it probably wasn’t as big of as a surprise to them when I did decide to leave. There was one point where I just threw my hands up and said that was it.
ABN: We tried to only show certain things. We weren’t filming 24/7 like a reality show. Even though we shot off and on for over a year the cameras weren’t around as much as it seems.

AL: Have you had any communication with the band?
JL: No. I have tried to reach out to them but haven’t heard anything. I would have liked for everything to be good between me and the guys. I offered to help them out in anyway I could. I even offered to help them find a replacement but things just didn’t work out that way.

AL: Looking back on the footage do you have any regrets?
JL: I regret wiping out on that skateboard. (Laughs) I told the to burry that film and to never show it but it some how ended up making it into the film.

AL: What are the release plans for the film?
ABN: The film opened in a few cities on 11/4. It was kind of a slow weekend release wise which was good for the film. It opens in Pasadena and Costa Mesa on 11/11. We also are in the works of distribution in Canada and overseas. Once the film has run its course in the theaters it will be airing on Showtime and the DVD is slated for a spring 2012 release.

AL: Do you both have any other upcoming projects?
JL: I have a new band called The Black Pacific. We are currently writing songs and playing shows. I was actually able to squeeze two of the bands song on the films sound track. I have just a lot of cool stuff going on. I am at the first part of my second life.
ABN: The DVD is going to have some sneak previews of the new band in the special features section. Project wise I am looking right now at making a documentary about someone who is trying to reconcile their ego after being out of the spot light. It sort of the next phase when you are forced to remove yourself from the spotlight for one reason or another.

AL: Is the soundtrack from the film going to be release as well?
ABN: I would love too, however the economics don’t look to great. It’s something that we are still discussing though.

AL: Is there anything else you would like people to know about the film?
JL: For those who get the DVD when it comes out there is going to be a lot of extras to check out. The material has been packaged really well. The Directors cut will feature some voice over stuff from Andrea, myself and Art Alexacis. That should be pretty informative and entertaining. You of course will be able to check out the film in the theaters and eventually on Showtime but for those people who really liked the film the hard copy is going to be really great.
ABN: While the film is in the theater we want people to use the whole DIY word of mouth method to promote the film. The more people who go to see it in the theaters the will allow it to be shown in more places. The film has really great 5.1 sound with a soundtrack that rocks! It will be awesome to see the film in the theater.

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Filed Under: Music Interviews Tagged With: andrea, blaugrund, interview, jim, lindberg, nevins, ...

Interview with Jimmy Pardo

Jimmy Pardo is known for his work with Conan O’Brien on his TBS show “Conan” and his bit called “Pardo Patrol” on the show.  Jimmy has been running a podcast since 2006 called “Never Not Funny. Jimmy just held his 3rd annual Pardcast-a-thon fundraiser to benefit Smile Train, They raised over $42,000 this year, blowing away their goal of $27,000. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Jimmy about working with Conan and what he has planned next.

Mike Gencarelli: Can you tell us what it’s been like working with Conan O’Brien?
Jimmy Pardo: I started with him at the Tonight Show when they first moved out to New York. I had never met Conan prior to this and the way the story goes is that they were looking for someone to do 10 minutes of comedy to warm the crowd up prior to the show starting. They had been using writers and some other people prior to my hiring. Andy Richter who I knew a little bit threw my name in the mix as he though I have the same sensibilities as the show. They I guess looked at some of my stuff online and called me in for a meeting and offered me the job. I worked there for the 7 months we were on the air. When the show moved I was lucky enough to be asked to do the same position.

MG: What can you tell us about the Pardo Patrol?
JP: That goes back to the Tonight Show as Conan, Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney were always looking for something more for me to do. They often joke that I am slumming it opening for their show. When the whole Team Coco thing happened and after the website became popular we had been on TBS for about 4 months or so when they said we should have some original content on there. Conan who had been a guest on my podcast a few times said we should have me do something. There really wasn’t any idea behind but we started doing the Pardo Patrol’s which are pretty open ended. They could be anything and everything. I am grateful and love doing it. It’s great to be part of the team. It’s flattering to have my own thing on the Team Coco website.

MG: What do you like most about doing your podcasts?
JP: I started doing those around 2006 when they were just starting. No one had a clue what a podcast really was at the time. I did them as something to do between jobs. I don’t know if it was the timing or the quality but people took a liking to the show. Everyone is doing them now and I really enjoy it.

MG: The podcast recently finished it’s ninth season. How do you continue to keep it fresh and keep people listening?
JP: There is only so much talent in the pool that we all draw from. What I am trying to do is find people who aren’t yet part of the comedy scene we all draw from. I try to get people who my audience may never expect to be on my show. By doing this I as well as the audience am getting to hear new people. New faces keep it fresh.

MG: Are there any special plans for Conan’s taping at the Beacon Theater?
JP: I don’t really know what going on just yet. I am supposed to be there on Saturday, October 29th. We do our first show on the 31st and I am sure there are a lot of fun things planned. I think everyone who is going to the shows will be thrilled to be there and it’s going to be great.

MG: Can you tell us about Bob and Tom Comedy All-Stars Tour?
JP: I have been going out on those tours since 1990. I was a guest on their show when they were just based out of Indianapolis. They took a liking to me early and became a friend of the show. They would always have me on when I was coming through town and they had me call in a lot as well. I have been able to go to the Bahamas with them for their Super bowl parties and it’s been great. The tours allow the fans to put a face to the voices they hear on the radio.

 

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Filed Under: TV Interviews Tagged With: interview, jimmy, pardo

Interview with April Wade

April Wade is the producer and star of the “KILLCAM: LIVE”. The film allows audiences to interact directly with characters from the movie and influence storylines via video, Facebook, Twitter, and online chat. The online elements for KILLCAM: LIVE have already garnered nearly 2 million views since production began on Halloween night. You can check out website here: http://killcamlive.com.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with April about the film and about its unique approach using social media and the internet.

Mike Gencarelli: For those that don’t know tell what is “KILLCAM: LIVE”?
April Wade: The concept started when me and the other creator, Canyon Price, were talking one day about how new media doesn’t really make money but it’s still important an emerging. The traditional way of making an independent film is no longer touching the audience in the way that we would like. We decided to combine the two ideas and see if they would stand together. We really wanted to use all the technology and resources we have to tell a story in a different way. Audiences are demanding a lot more interactivity so what we essentially created was a live video game. We took a feature film and deconstructed it into episodes. We took out all the parts where people get killed and put that live online for 72 hrs.

MG: Having the audience interact directly with characters from the movie and influence story lines, does that create any challenges for you?
AW: It’s both a challenge and a blessing. We have 72 hrs. of content to fill and the audience has been coming up with some really great stuff. Sometimes the audience wants to kill a character that really is only mentioned briefly. However we liked the idea so we had to set all that up on a whim. There have been people that have become real leaders of the story. They have put up blogs and just the other night they started a YouTube page. The fans have even named the killer.

MG: Are you shocked that over 2 million viewers have checked into this show?
AW: When we were pitching this idea people interested but were terrified. We thought that really meant something. We knew this could be successful but what has really been shocking is the emotional interaction that we are getting. Fans have been messaging our characters some very personal things as they feel a real connection. There have even been people crying on camera about a character dying. The real interaction and connectivity is thrilling.

MG: You produce the movie but also star, what have you enjoyed most about this?
AW: I have been an actor my whole life and that is what I really love to do. The thing is you just can’t be an actor these days. I started producing my own content and realized that I really liked it. I found that I could be creative in a totally different way. I am actually preparing to be in the room pretty soon. I will be the only actor who has the perspective of what it’s like on the other side of the wall. I assume it’s going to be a lot harder than I think it is. I also have some insight about when you are acting and in the moment you don’t normally see which idea the audience is moving towards. Now I have both perspectives.

MG: I absolutely loved “Insidious”, how did David Brewer & John Darko come on the project?
AW: John and I have been friends for a long time. John is friends with David and after John brought in some people who contributed funds to the film John asked David to come on board. It was a pretty stellar group.

MG: What does the future hold for yourself and for “KILLCAM: LIVE”?
AW: We are starting to dwindle in characters so the rules are going to be changing a little. The schedule of the show is going to stay the same however we are going to be adding a few new elements. Later on we plan to take the things created in the live stream and piece them into the episodes. The episodes will be taken off line while we ask for fans to still give us their content so we can have them really involved. From there we are going to turn everything into what I call a “Franken film”.  At the end of the day we will have a feature film. There also will be some new information about the story that was not originally shown.

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Filed Under: Film Interviews, Interviews Tagged With: april, interview, wade

Interview with Catherine Taber

Catherine Taber plays the voice of Padme Amidala on Cartoon Network’s “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”.  The show is currently airing its fourth season. She is also doing voice work for the highly anticipated game “Star Wars: The Old Republic”.  Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Catherine about voice Padme and her work with “Star Wars” universe.

Mike Gencarelli: You are now entering season four of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, what can expect from Padmé Amidala this season?
Catherine Taber: Padme, like everyone, is seeing the war take its toll. She will maintain her belief in the fight for good and the fight for the republic, but she does suffer disappoints and betrayals. But, true to Padme form, her core decency and goodness, can not be shaken…unlike some others.

MG: What do you enjoy most about voicing her character?
CT: I love that Padme is an elegant and feminine woman, but not a damsel in distress. She makes her own decisions and is an awesome shot with a blaster!

MG: Tell us how you prepare yourself to get into character?
CT: I feel I know who Padme is very clearly – so she does not require a lot of prep work on that front. I know her history, even beyond the films. But I do try to wear clothing, shoes, etc that make me feel “Padme-ish”, strong and regal to get into character. No sweat pants! I am kind of goofy like that.

MG: What is the biggest challenge that presents itself with each new season?
CT: The only “challenge” I can come up with is dealing with the fact that we are getting closer to the eventual end! But we have seasons to come yet, so I try not to think about it!

MG: Tell us about the film “Hughes the Force” and your involvement?
CT: “Hughes the Force” is an fan film, an “epic” fan film! It’s made by true fans of both Star Wars and John Hughes films. James Arnold Taylor and I got to do cameo appearances of the live action versions of our characters which was AMAZINGLY fun. Everyone involved was so great, it was a labor of love. You should check it out!

MG: Tell us about your involved with the highly anticipated game “Star Wars: The Old Republic”?
CT: I had worked with Bioware before on “Knights of the Old Republic” (my first voiceover job!), so I was so excited when they asked me to come in. I didn’t even know what the project was. That was several years ago, and now having seen the progression, the trailers, the art work…I am just blown away and thrilled to be a part of it. I was lucky to get to appear at Comic Con International on the Bioware panel and announce that I am playing Vette, and it was really exciting. Vette is the companion character to the Sith Lord. She is funny and sassy and smart and a little quirky. I tried to think of Indiana Jones a bit when playing her.

MG: Do you feel that video game work differs from TV voice work?
CT: I mostly approach it all the same from an acting standpoint. I am creating a character and I just have a different set of tools to use. But, the great thing about TV and the Clone Wars especially, is we all get to work together, which makes it so much fun and I think ads depth to the scenes. It hardly feels like work!

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: catherine, interview, taber

Audio Interview with James Arnold Taylor

James Arnold Taylor is currently voicing Obi-Wan Kenobi on “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”. The show is currently airing its fourth season. He also was the host of Star Wars Weekend in 2011 at Walt Disney World, also where he performed his one man show. Media Mikes was able to get James Arnold Taylor to answer a few questions about “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”, “Johnny Test” and his one man show as well. It is a must listen…trust me!!

Media Mikes – James Arnold Taylor Interview (November 2011) by Mike Gencarelli

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: arnold, audio, interview, james, taylor

Interview with Julie Benz

Julie Benz is currently co-starring in ABC’s new series “A Gifted Man”. She is also co-starring in TNT’s upcoming Mystery Saturday Night film, “Sandra Brown’s
Ricochet”, which airs November 30th. Julie is also know for her recent roles on the TV series’ “Dexter” & “No Ordinary Family” and films like “The Boondock Saints II: All Saint’s Day”. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Julie about her new TNT movie and what we can expect from her role.

Mike Gencarelli: Were you familiar with Sandra Brown’s novel prior to working with the film “Ricochet”?
Julie Benz: I was familiar with Sandra Brown. I had read “Ricochet” a long time ago like a while ago and really enjoyed it. I’m an avid reader and I love her books.

MG: The character of Elise is a little mysterious and a little bit of a trouble maker; what did you like most about playing her? And how did you prepare for the role?
JB: What I loved was how for me with the challenge of playing Elise was how close she keeps everything inside and you don’t know if she’s good or bad and you’re never sure exactly what she’s thinking and that was a real challenge for me to play. I had to work really hard on an accent. So I worked very hard on my accent for the movie as well and that helps me really get into Elise. With that specific type of Southern accent she moved slower and talked slower than I do and that allowed me to actually be a little more serious.

MG: Did you consider the role to be challenging overall?
JB: No. I mean it was challenging to play but it wasn’t difficult in the fact that I mean I understood what her intentions were sure. I mean the way she got around to doing stuff wasn’t necessarily all that normal. But in her heart everything like her intentions behind it all was pure. So but you had to actually admit too she’s a little crazy for what she did.

MG: How do you feel the film different from the book?
JB: I think it does an amazing job of adapting the book into the movie. There’s so much information in the book and you get a lot more back story but the film itself follows the action quite specifically.

MG: You are quite involved with your social media, how has that been playing into the promotion of projects like “Ricochet” for you?
JB: Oh I mean it’s always so great. TNT puts up a new promo for the show I can just Tweet it and everybody goes and looks at it. I love social media. I think it’s a great way to not just promote the work that you do but also to have direct contact with fans and are able promote any kind of charities that you’re involved in.

JB: With “Ricochet”, what do you think it is that will draw viewers in?
JB: You know, first the story. The story is really compelling in the way that it’s shot. It is very much as a film and then of course I mean you have John Corbett and Gary Cole, so what’s not to watch?

MG: Well you just mentioned Gary Cole he’s always such a fascinating actor. What was he like to work with?
JB: Oh he’s the pro man. He is this ultimate gentlemen first and second just a pro. Just watching him grasp his character and making the choices that he made to play Judge Laird, it’s like being in a master class watching him work.

MG: Okay now also recently after you spent so much time on series work like “Dexter” and “Ordinary Family” and now “A Gifted Man”, how was it different to work on a film with a set beginning, middle and end?
JB: Well it’s a little overwhelming at first because we shot it in 18 days. So it’s a pretty fast process and pretty fast filming. So you have to really do a lot of homework before you arrive on set and really do a lot of your character development before you get there. Rather than when you are in a TV series they start kind of crafting the role for you and they start writing it in your voice after you’re cast and tailoring it to who you are. I love doing television because I love being on set everyday with the same people. So it’s sad when you have to say goodbye.

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Filed Under: Interviews, TV Interviews Tagged With: benz, interview, julie

Interview with Kansas’ Rich Williams

Rich Williams is the lead guitarist from band Kansas.  The band is responsible for such memorable songs such as “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind”.  The band is currently touring the country with there Collegiate Symphony Tour.  Media Mikes was able to chat with Rich about the tour and what he enjoys most about performing on the stage.

Mike Gencarelli: What can we expect from this year’s Collegiate Symphony Tour?
Rich Williams: The tour is going great! This was something we started last year and because of the great response we received we decided to do it again this year. We are hoping that the more colleges we play others will pick up on what we are doing and they will want us to play at their school as well. It’s been a great time.

MG: What has it been like working with the college students on the shows?
RW: It’s a lot of fun. The students seem to really enjoy it and they get to do something they may normally not have the chance to do in their normal curriculum.

MG: What do you like most about performing live as of late?
RW: It’s hard to describe as this is what I have always done. A long time ago I used to work at a liquor store while I was in college and then I started playing. I really haven’t done anything else. It’s a normal day to me. Everything is really fun however, when we have a couple weeks off I tend to go a little stir crazy.

MG: Is there one song that you really enjoy playing live each night?
RW: There are a lot of songs I enjoy. We have added quite a few songs to the set recently. We added a song called “Down The Road” back into the set. We have been playing a lot of symphony shows as well as shows at state fairs. There are some songs that don’t work without the symphony so we have to fill that time in. We haven’t played “Down The Road” live in a year or two. A lot of times we will pick a song, rehearse it in the dressing room and then go out and play it. It’s fun not to be on auto pilot.

MG: What were the bands initial inspirations?
RW: Everyone in Topeka at the time was in a band after the British Invasion hit. Some people eventually lost interest or got a day job. After a while the musicians who were left were the ones who either wanted play the Holiday Inn lounge or who really wanted to make it.  We were all really inspired by the things coming out of Europe and none of us were ready for a real job yet. All of us wanted to do real original music and that’s what really got us started.

MG: What type of music have you been listening to lately that you really enjoy?
RW: I really don’t listen to music as of late. I am just so busy that I don’t have time for anything. If I do listen to something it’s probably because I walked past a speaker that was playing something and that’s what I am listening to.

MG: Your song “Carry On Wayward Son” was featured in the video game “Guitar Hero”. Have you ever tried playing it?
RW: Before “Guitar Hero” came out they sent me all the hardware for it. The thing is I never heard back from them. I wasn’t really too interested in the game but my kids did enjoy playing it. The game has brought a lot of new people to our concerts and it has really sparked something. In my opinion anything that promotes playing music is great.

MG: “Dust In The Wind” is often used quite a bit in movies. How do you feel about the ongoing popularity of the song?
RW: Those things are what keep us out there. Both the songs you mentioned are bigger than we are. People a lot of the time know the songs but they don’t know us as a band.

MG: Are there any plans to record and release new material?
RW: It would be great to do one but then there is reality. They take a lot of time and money to put together. We are out there playing because we love it. Not for the money. If we were going to be recording an album it would be us as a band paying for that. Besides the fact that I am not independently, radio won’t play anything new and people don’t really come to shows to hear new material. Once you realize that reality that people don’t truly care about new material you have to come up with a way to recreate yourself. That’s why we did the symphony album and tour. It’s a way of doing something different and fresh with what you already have.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: interview, kansas, rich, williams

King of the ‘Rÿche: An Interview with Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate

While standing outside of the Orlando House of Blues’ green room waiting to interview Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche, three musical things can be discerned: the sound check of the opening band, Geoff doing some pre-concert vocal warm-ups and – very faintly – the calming strains of classical music.   It’s an interesting mix of stimuli to be sure.  When Geoff completes his exercises, he’s ready to talk – which is amazing given that Queensrÿche’s sound check went for an hour more than scheduled and that the band has less than two hours before they have to take the stage and deliver the goods to a packed house.

Tate’s look has changed many times over the course of the 30 years he’s been with the band.  Gone is the coiffed long black hair that appeared in the videos for “Silent Lucidity” and “Jet City Woman” from the band’s hugely successful 1990 release, “Empire”.  These days, Geoff is sporting a bald head and a pencil-thin goatee that cause me to immediately conjure up mental images of Ming the Merciless and Anton LaVey.  But Tate’s demeanor is far from threatening and certainly not in any way demonic.  For a singer known for his ability to carry high-pitched metal wailings, his deep voice is one that is surprisingly soft-spoken.

The green room’s two plush couches upon which he and I sit are rather relaxing – as is the Debussy that continues to softly play from his iPod’s dock’s speakers, something that will remain a constant throughout our conversation.

Well…at least for half of it.

Dave Picton:  So you’re on your 30th anniversary tour.
Geoff Tate:  Yeah.  The end of it.  There’s the show tonight and then we have two shows on the boat and a show in Clearwater. Today is kind of a hectic day because we’re getting ready to go on a ShipRocked Cruise.  Certain equipment goes and certain things stay, you know?  We’re playing “Mindcrime” on the boat, so we’re rehearsing it now because we haven’t played the whole thing in quite a few years.

DP: The band has largely been the same group of guys that you’ve been working with since 1981.
GT:  Yeah.  Four out of five.

DP:  As you look back are there good memories?  Not so good memories?
GT:  Oh yeah, there’s both. Lots of both.

DP:  After a bunch of concept albums that you released within the past decade or so, such as “Operation: Mindcrime II” and “American Soldier”,  the latest new album, “Dedicated to Chaos”, finds the band going for straight-forward singles-oriented songs that often have new technology as a central theme.  What’s your take on technology?
GT:  Oh, it’s fascinating.  Very fun.  It can definitely be something that sidetracks you from a lot of things and definitely takes your attention away from a lot of other things while you’re figuring out the latest gadget.  A lot of really good things like studio stuff and recording equipment and all that has gotten really modular and now you can take it anywhere you want and record in rooms like this and airplanes.  We do a lot of work all on computers now   It’s great.  You can really sketch out an idea.  It helps in the studio in terms of composing and coming up with new stuff and making demos.

DP:  When you record demos now, how far are you going with the song?  I know that it used to be that it would be fairly crude like when Buck Dharma of Blue Öyster Cult recorded the “Don’t Fear the Reaper” demo, he was playing drums on cardboard boxes. Now you can have a demo be pretty close to what the final cut is going to sound like.
GT:  Well, sound-wise, you can get really close.  But working with the other guys in the studio is a whole different thing.  Personally, in my opinion, songs turn out better when everybody’s playing together.  There’s a kind of synergy that happens with the musicians and you take an idea a lot further along when you get other people involved.  You can take it on your own and get good sounds but you don’t get the really cool performances and the particular thing that they do.

DP:  “Operation: Mindcrime” has very much become heavy metal’s “Dark Side of the Moon” in terms of how timeless it truly is.  As of late, it’s also become very timely with events that are going on right now.  For example, there are a bunch of videos on YouTube of “Mindcrime” songs that feature photo montages of Occupy Wall Street.  What’s your take on the relevance of those lyrics to this cause?
GT:  Well, the movement is really interesting. Over the last couple of months, every city we’ve gone to, there have been protestors everywhere.  Thousands of them, not just a handful, you know?  The news likes to say that there are a lot of angry people out there – and rightly so.  It’s getting pretty tough to make a living these days in this country.  It’s a massive complex issue and there’s no simple answer to it. But it’s kind of what’s happened because our country is built on business and commerce.  That’s our culture, really.  And those things mean competition which wastes the other guy to get ahead.  If somebody can make more money selling jobs to overseas workers, they’re gonna do it if there’s no law that says they can’t. So that’s what’s happened.  We’ve sold all of our jobs and our manufacturing to other places and what have we got now?  We have a nation full of people that are trained for the service industry which is great but now that people aren’t spending money to go out and eat dinner what are you gonna do then?  Every action has a reaction to it. People think it’s fine to download music.  Well, downloading music has gutted an industry.  Where 10 years ago there were 50,000 or 100,000 people employed by the record industry, now there’s 3,000.  The industry is failing and the money is gone because somebody thought it was OK to steal the product.  You can’t fight that now that we’ve raised a generation of people who don’t see anything wrong with it.  In fact, I think they just passed a law that says file sharing is legal now.  Great.  Thanks.  Now you can steal my work.  Where does that end? It all affects everyone else, you know? So all of those people that are out of work in the industry now don’t have a job where they can go and pay to get their car fixed, so the mechanic is short on work now.  And because he’s short on work, he can’t buy the groceries he normally would buy at the grocery store so now the grocery store is hurting.  It all affects everything.

DP:  A domino effect happens.
GT:  Exactly.  It’s a massive massive problem that nobody has an answer for.  It’s something we really have to look at and study and maybe change the way we think and the way we do things.

DP:  I think fundamentally that’s one of the core things on which the movement is based.
GT:  Yeah. I think that’s probably at the core of what a lot of the protestors are talking about – at least the ones I’ve talked to.  There’s a lot of people who don’t know what they’re protesting against so they don’t know how to define it or verbalize it but there’s a LOT of people that do.  It’s an interesting movement.  There’s a lot of anger and frustration that it’s based around and when people get angry and frustrated, violence happens.  So we could be on the brink of something pretty major here over the next few months I would guess.

DP:  It seems to be growing.
GT:  It is. We’ll see where it goes.

DP:  Anyways, back to some music questions.  If I snagged your iPod and I hit random, what would I hear?
GT:  Well let’s look. [reaches over to turn off  his iPod and remove it from its stereo speaker dock]  We were just listening to Debussy.  Artists or albums?

DP:  Let’s go with artists.
GT:  I’ll start at the top. [calls up his artist playlist]

DP:  Wow. All over the map.  America. Aerosmith. Beck. Benny Goodman. Black Sabbath. Brian Setzer. Frank Sinatra. Candy Dulfer.  Awesome saxophone player!  There’s actually quite a lot of saxophone on the new Queensrÿche album.
GT: Actually, there’s been saxophone on every album since..uh… “Promised Land” I believe.  Anyway, as you can see, there’s a lot of variance here on my iPod. [laughs]  Do you know of Erykah Badu?

DP:  I do.  I love her song “Next Lifetime”.
GT: She’s one of my favorites.  And we’re just halfway through the list! I’ve got a lot of stuff.

DP:  You’re not kidding! John Lennon & Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band. Miles Davis.  Diana Krall. I’ve noticed there’s quite a lot of jazz.
GT:  There’s a lot of jazz on it.  A majority of the stuff on here is old jazz.

DP:  But certainly not exclusively.  Neil Young.  Moody Blues.  Loreena McKennit.  I’ve seen her live.  Absolutely amazing show.  Pink Floyd.  Sade.  Yes.  I just interviewed Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman a month or so ago. Man…the list goes on and on.  And – but of course – Queensrÿche.  In the near future, what might I see on your Pod in terms of those guys?
GT:  [laughs]  I don’t  know.  We don’t really have a plan right now.  Honestly, this has been a really long tour and everybody’s just kind of burnt out right now.  It’s probably just time to get home and chill and recharge the batteries.  And then we’ll start talking in a couple of months about “Oh, do you wanna do something?” and we’ll see what happens.

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Filed Under: Interviews, Music Interviews Tagged With: 30th anniversary tour, Dedicated to Chaos, Geoff Tate, interview, Occupy Wall Street, Operation: Mindcrime, ...
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