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Corey Feldman started his career with “Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter” (1984), “Gremlins” (1984), “The Goonies” (1985), “The Burbs” (1989), “Stand By Me” (1986) and “The Lost Boys” (1987). The duo of Feldman and Haim became known as The Two Coreys. Together they went on to also star in “License to Drive” (1988) and “Dream a Little Dream” (1989) together. Since then Corey has starred in numerous movies and is currently on tour with his band Truth Movement. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk to Corey during a break on his tour about his band, his movies, the lost of Corey Haim and what lies ahead for the future.

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Mike Gencarelli: You’re currently on the road with your band, Truth Movement. Tell me about the tour.
Corey Feldman: It’s a very exciting tour for us…certainly the biggest tour we’ve ever done on many aspects. From a production standpoint…from the size of the venues we’re playing. The sheer size of the tour that we’ve mounted is pretty incredible. It’s very interesting because we’re doing a range of shows. From small, intimate settings…for example we just did a show in Akron, Ohio, which was one of the smallest venue’s I’ve ever played. It was like the Beatles playing Sullivan years ago…just a little cave of a place. But it was great. The place was packed. And it helped create a certain magic with the crowd. And then we’ll be doing the “Goonies” event. I have no idea how many people will be there for the concert. They’re estimating anywhere from eight to ten thousand people. So there’s a large range in what we’re playing and who we’re playing to. But at the end of the day it’s very exciting because we’re very proud of this album. Musically we feel it’s our greatest achievement. And I feel, as an artist, that it’s my greatest achievement in the music world. It’s a great collaboration of a great many talents. The band is fantastically talented. Their great musicians. And we got some help from a couple guys from Pink Floyd in putting the album together. They’ve come out with us and done a show or two. They may do the “Goonies” show but I’m not sure because they have “The Wall” tour coming up. But we’re trying to steal them away from Roger Waters (laughs) so we’ll see how that goes.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell me how Pink Floyd has inspired your music?
Corey Feldman: I have many influences in my musical palate. Starting from the very early days with Elvis Presley…lots of 50’s rock and roll…Little Richard…Bill Haley and the Comets…moving up to the Beatles, which really were the most profound influence in my life. And then going into Michael Jackson, which then motivated the pop side in me. It wasn’t until later in life that I actually discovered Pink Floyd. And once I discovered them….they kind of took all of those elements and managed to capture them all in one sound…a very specific sound…which took things to a higher level. Pink Floyd’s music is much more than just music. It delivers a very strong, potent message. And in my writing I try to emulate the importance of the message that’s being told in the song. Not just from a lyrical standpoint but from a melodic standpoint. Our albums tell a story. They have a beginning and a middle and an end. And hopefully some sort of point by the end of it all. And that’s basically what we do. We create the album live every night. We play it in its entirety. We’re assisted by a video show…a very elaborate stage show that includes lasers…different costumes. All sorts of things. We’re very lucky to have the people we do doing the work. And we were able to master the album on the same exact board that “Dark Side of the Moon” was mastered on down in the basement of Capitol Records. The first single was a song I co-wrote called “Green is the Color,” which is about the environment. And to follow up on the words we actually made the album the most environmentally friendly album ever made. It’s biodegradable…recyclable. The ink that was used to print it was made out of soy ink. We really went the extra mile…spent the extra money…to make sure that we walked the walk and not just talked the talk. And we went even further by sponsoring “Off the Grid” shows. We brought in our own source of fuel…biodegradable generators…to the Universal City Walk last year. We managed to do the first ever show at Universal City Walk at Universal Studios in Hollywood completely run by alternative energy. It was amazing. We were really excited about that. And now it looks as if we’re going to do it again for the “Goonies” 25th anniversary. So now it’s not just an exciting event because of the 25 year landmark for shooting “Goonies” but it’s also going to be an exciting event because it’s going to be, certainly, the largest “alternative” event ever to happen in the state of Oregon as a whole.

Mike Gencarelli: I see that the last stop on your tour is Santa Cruz, where “ Lost Boys” was shot. Are you looking forward to returning?
Corey Feldman: The exciting thing for me about this tour is the fact that this is a historical landmark tour. We’re playing many stops on this tour that are meaningful to my childhood. Last night we played Toledo, Ohio, which is where my family originated from. I got to play for my whole family, which was really nice. And before the “Goonies” event we’re playing Eugene, Oregon, which is where I shot “Stand By Me.” I’ve never returned there…never played there with my band…so that’s going to be an exciting event. Then there’s the “Goonies” event, which is historical because I’ve never played there with the band. In fact, I’ve only been back there once since the filming. And that, of course, leads up to the Santa Cruz boardwalk show, which actually isn’t the last stop on the tour. It’s the last stop on the first wave. We’re actually going on through October. But Santa Cruz is going to be monumental as well. It’s going to be very exciting to be out there on the boardwalk where we shot the film. We’re going to be playing the movie on a giant screen either before or after the concert. And I also think it will serve as a sort of memorial to Corey Haim as well.

MG: How have you been coping with Corey’s passing?
CF: I’ll tell you something, being on the road sure takes your mind off things. You really don’t have much time to focus on anything except getting unloaded…getting everything set up…doing your show…meeting everybody after the show…getting everything loaded back up…heading for the next city. It’s just so much. Plus doing these interviews in between. It becomes a 24 hour job. So fortunately it takes your mind off other things. Unfortunately it makes it a lot harder to communicate with your family. I haven’t been able to talk to my son too much since I’ve been out here. I haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks. It’s been rough. The hardest part of it has been being away from my son. In general I’m doing ok. I can’t say that it’s been the greatest chapter of my life. Honestly, this last year has been the hardest year of my life. I was supposed to do this tour a year ago and I ended up having to cancel the whole tour because it was one thing after another. I lost so many people in a row that were close to me. And then I went to Africa to shoot “Lost Boys” for two months. I came back and we lost Corey right after we finished. It’s just been one thing on top of another. And when I finally got a couple months past Corey’s death I said “now we can go out.” Because there was really nothing holding me back. It’s a bit remorseful but it’s also a bit celebratory. We get such a tremendous outpouring from the fans. Such a crazy, incredible response from people spreading their love and shining their love. And I think this is an opportunity to see each other face to face and kind of mourn together. I think there’s a big part of that going on with this tour.

MG: You actually mentioned “Lost Boys 3,” but I have a question about part 2. How was it returning to the role of Edgar Frog after all those years?
CF: I loved it. It was so much fun. And I think as well done as part 2 was we did a lot better with part 3.

MG: What can you tell us about part 3?
CF: The one thing I didn’t like about the second film was that I was kind of in the trenches by myself. Edgar kept popping in every once in a while and it felt odd to me. It felt like one of those movies where they couldn’t get it right. So the only way I was going to return for part 3…if you remember I had it in my contract that Corey (Haim) had to be in the sequel as well and Warner Brothers kept their word, they shot some sequences with Corey. But because of the problems we had with Corey at the time, it wasn’t usable. It wasn’t their fault. It was just what it was. Corey wasn’t able, at that point in his life, to deliver what we needed. So those parts were cut from the film and put in with the deleted scenes. And those scenes were done as pickups. When you see Corey and Jamison (Newlander, who was cast as Alan Frog) their shots were pick ups, they weren’t in the same scene with me. And I felt isolated. It was like I was carrying this torch. But this time around, Jamison IS in the film and it IS the return of the Frog brothers. And even though we didn’t get to have Corey in this film a reference is made to his character…where he is and what’s going on with him…and it really feels like a continuation of the first film as opposed to a completely separate chapter.

MG: You’ve mentioned that this year marks the 25th Anniversary of “The Goonies” and that your tour is actually making a stop at the location where it was filmed. Looking back can you reflect on your role in the movie?
CF: It was a lot of fun for me. What a great opportunity to be able to work with a group of genius people like Steven Spielberg and Richard Donner. And such a great collaboration of cast members. A great ensemble. Everybody has gone on to achieve many things. We were very, very fortunate and I was very excited to play that role. I remember the day that I got the job I was jumping up and down and screaming. It was like the greatest day of my life. So many great things came from that movie. That movie was such an important centerpiece in the development of my life and my career and it’s never died…never say die! That’s the truth. Literally. I could be playing the biggest concert hall in the world and I can hear people yelling “Hey you guys!” during intermission or in between songs. The fact that it crosses so many generations…I have so many five year old kids coming up to me with stars in their eyes because they’ve watched me in “Goonies.” Literally yesterday when I was in my hometown of Toledo playing for my family…they brought lots of kids. And there was a cousin that I’d never met…a fourth generation cousin. And they idolize me. “Oh my God it’s Corey!” And another cousin says “do you know you exactly the same as you did in the movie? How is that possible?” And I said, well, I’ve got hair on my face now. He said, “yeah, yeah that’s true. But you look exactly the same!” So it’s great to have these young fans. On the other side, when we were in Detroit, there was a woman who must have been 65 years old standing in the front row and rocking out the whole time. It’s amazing the generations I’ve been able to cross

MG: What are your plans after the tour?
CF: The tour ends right when “Lost Boys 3” is being released. So we’re going to tour until the film comes out and then I’ll take a break for the holidays. I’ll certainly be due one, that’s for sure. I think the plan is to take the tour international at some point. I’d like to stay with this for the next year or two. I’m also planning and developing a much bigger “green” event which I really can’t go into too much now because it’s kind of under wraps. But the master plan is to create a “green” festival, which we’re working on. And of course I’m going to try and throw some films in there as well but I can’t talk about those yet. (laughs)

Goonies 25th Anniversary Artwork by: Joal Morris Illustrations of Astoria

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“Wow!” If I truly transcribed my interview with “Splice” director Vincenzo Natali properly, each of my questions would have been preceded with the word “Wow!” Almost every question opened up the possibility in my mind that what I saw on screen in “Splice” may very soon one day be a reality. With “Splice” scheduled to open this Friday, Mr. Natali sat down with MovieMikes and talked about his new film, what inspired him and his one day plans for the Swamp Thing.

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Michael Smith: Where did the idea for the film come from?
Vincenzo Natali: It actually came from a real M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) experiment. I saw a photograph of a thing called the Vacanti Mouse. It was a mouse that appeared to have a human ear growing out of its back.

Michael Smith: Oh wow!
Vincenzo Natali: It was quite a shocking image. It wasn’t a genetic experiment…it just looked like one. And I immediately felt that, somewhere in that mouse there was a movie. And that’s how it began. And I have to say that on almost a weekly basis I read about developments that echo our film. Just today I read that Craig Venter, who is your prototypical rock and roll geneticist, has created the first completely artificial life form. It’s pretty amazing.

Mike Smith: Is Venter the basis for Adrien Brody’s character? I noticed in the film that, while most of the scientists were very stoic and wore white coats, Clive (Brody’s character) had the cool apartment…the cool t-shirts.
Vincenzo Natali: Venter is actually an older guy. But, yeah, when I first read about him…I felt justified in how I was writing Clive. I intuitively felt that, when my generation gets involved in this stuff, that’s what they’re going to be like. And that was later confirmed when I went to real labs…the mean age of the people working in the labs was around thirty. There were quite a few Clives and Elsas (Sarah Polley’s character in the film, also a geneticist). They were really great people (laughs). I really liked them.

MS: I’m sure you had technical advisers on the film for a lot of the scientific stuff. Did any of them ever tell you, “Wow, you know, what you’ve conceived here can, or might, one day be a possibility?
VN: Yeah. You know, I co-wrote the script (with Antoinette Terry Bryant and Doug Taylor), but we did it in consultation with a geneticist. We would present him with ideas and, what was really shocking to me, was that he would invariably say, “yes, that’s possible.” So what I learned is that there’s a pretty wide bandwidth between what is possible in this science. And so there is nothing in “Splice” that is completely beyond the pale of possibility. Now some of it might be unlikely. Some of it may not quite be possible yet. But there is no doubt in my mind that they’re getting very close.

MS: Where did you get your inspiration for the story of your film “Cube?”
VN: I would love to say that it was some divine inspiration (laughs) but it just came out of the fact that I was trying to make a low budget movie on one set. I knew that it would be hard for me, as a filmmaker, to do a movie like “My Dinner With Andre” … that’s the kind of movie most attempt to do with a limited location. And it suddenly occurred to me, what if one set could double as many? And that led me to think of a maze of identical rooms. And then I thought it should be a symmetrical maze and, therefore, a cube. So really, necessity was the mother of invention in the case of “Cube.”

MS: How did you come up with the concept…with the look…of DREN? Did you intend her to have, say, the certain traits of one creature and then different traits of another?
VN: I always thought DREN should be a genetically engineered angel. And I was really fascinated with the thought that…you know, the concept of animal hybrids and animal/human hybrids. These have been a staple of mythology that transcends all borders and cultures. And now here we are in the 21st Century on the cusp of actually making these animals with new technology. So I really felt that DREN should have her roots in myth. And even though she wouldn’t be a typical kind of angel, there would be certain aspects of those mythical beings. But, having said that, the number one priority for myself and all of the designers and effects artists involved in the creation of DREN was to make her real. We really wanted a creature on-screen that an audience can believe.

MS: Well it sure worked for me!
VN: (laughs)

MS: Was there any scenes shot that gave a back story to Elsa? I take it from the scenes that are in the film that Elsa had a very negligent mother…she wasn’t loved, she wasn’t appreciated. Which is why I think she really overdoes the nurturing of DREN.
VN: That’s exactly right. We flirted with the idea of having more of Elsa’s background but at the end of the day our fear was that it would be over the top. It would just be maudlin and melodramatic. So we sided with the idea that less is more. Because all you need to know is that she had an unhappy childhood and that her mother was a very bad mother. Beyond that we just leave it to the audience to draw their own conclusions.

(I mention a particular scene in the film – no sense spoiling it for you)

VN: That’s really all you need to know.

MS: Is it true that you are remaking “Swamp Thing” in 3D?
VN: No, not yet. I wish that were the case unfortunately. I’ve done a lot of research on this and “Swamp Thing” is really in the swamp! (laughs) A legal swamp…a legal quagmire. There are all kinds of entities involved in controlling the rights and I’ve been told it just can’t happen anytime soon. So sadly we’ll have to wait for “Swamp Thing.” I loved that comic book…in particular I liked the Alan Moore take on “Swamp Thing” which is really very different than what Wes Craven did with his film. It would have been something really new and cool. But I think we’ll have to wait a little while.

MS: Speaking of Wes Craven, and I have to say that I almost consider “Splice” more of a horror film than a fantasy film, did you have anyone who really inspired you when you were younger and going to the movies?
VN: Many. When we talk about creatures I immediately think of Ray Harryhausen…a great animator who did all of the “Sinbad” films…all of the stop-motion monsters in (the original) “Clash of the Titans.” I thought his creatures really “humanized” the monster…they were creatures that had character. He clearly was a filmmaker who had tremendous empathy for these things. And that was really the guiding principal with writing DREN…that she be a character who would, in many respects, demonstrate more humanity then the human beings in the story. Ray Harryhausen would definitely be at the top of the list.

MS: That’s a great start to the list. Since “Swamp Thing” is not an option right now, do you have anything else in the pipeline?
VN: Well, you know you have to scatter a lot of seeds these days when trying to get a movie made. It’s always a challenge. What I have, actually, are all book adaptations. There’s a J.G. Ballard novel I very much want to make called “High Rise.” I’ve been working on it for a number of years. It’s about a super high rise, very much like the Burj in Dubai…the world’s tallest building. It’s about how the building, which is almost like a vertical city…populated with a vertically integrated society, which then collapses. I consider it a “social-disaster” film. It’s really an amazing story. There’s also a kids book I’m working on called “Tunnels,” which is kind of a fantasy that takes place under the streets of London. And then, recently, I believe I’ve got my hands on “Neuromancer,” the William Gibson novel. Which is really one of the greatest works of science fiction…in my opinion one of the most influential science fiction novels of the last 25 years. It’s pretty exciting.

MS: Thank you so much for your time. I hope “Splice” finds it’s audience. I hope it doesn’t get lost in the summer shuffle. It’s that rare movie that…it draws you in…it excites you. And when it’s over and you’re leaving the theatre it makes you think. And that’s certainly a rarity these days.
VN: Wow. That’s high praise. Thank you so much. I really appreciate that.

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