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You have recently starred in
Kevin Strange's/Hack Movies'
Stiff Jobs [Kevin
Strange interview - click here].
What can you tell us about that film?
There's quite a lot to say, actually. As you have
already reviewed the film - and we'd love more people to purchase and
enjoy it - I won't waste time re-iterating the plot points.
The film started out as a series of promotional
shorts for CockHammer, originally slated as the major
release for the beginning of this year. Somewhere along the way it sort
of morphed into its own feature - initially against Kevin's will. He
claims this is the absolute worst way to produce a movie, yet it kind of
fell together in a manner that none of us were prepared for. I think it
is the best Hack joint yet; the only real downside was the interminable
shooting schedule.
When we started out, it was summer and in the
nineties. My last day of production involved forty-degree conditions
with a thirty-mile-per-hour wind. (That was my disembowlment scene.
There was NO acting involved! I was friggin' freezing!)
All in all, it was a rewarding experience. There
were other memorable moments - including a near miss with
local law enforcement entailing me being brutally frisked - that I
wouldn't trade for anything. For viewers, the Hack flavour
is unique and exhilarating; for the actors, it's almost better than sex.
Almost.
A few words about your
character in Stiff Jobs? Windgate
is a repressed, anal-retentive, introspective intellectual who just
happens to kill people for a living. At least, that's my take on it. He
doesn't seem to let unusual pursuits and fetishes bother him, but he's
struggling more and more with his profession. I believe we might see more
on this character arc in the upcoming CockHammer, in which the
role is reprised. Also returning are Wolfram, CockHammer (naturally), and
those lovable potheads from Dead Shit, Nixon and Hogan.
You
have acted in other movies before, but Windgate in Stiff
Jobs was your first lead. Was it a tough challenge for you to
carry the film?
The true star of Stiff
Jobs
is Thaddeus Starbuckle as
Wolfram. At best, I am Ed McMahon to his Johnny Carson. However, I will
agree that it was a considerable part. I had similar responsibility in Gameheads - the biggest obstacle was the amount of dialogue. I
appreciate Kevin's faith in me; I still claim that my strong suit is my
ability to keep showing up. Such is the recipe for success in the Hack-world. That, and your acting can't suck beyond a certain level. I assume I
hover above the threshold. Basically, you have been a Hack Movies-regular
for several years now. How did you hook up with the company?
A very roundabout association resulting from my first role in Gameheads. I have been friends for several years with
Hack
cinematographer/actor Nick Head's father. He suggested that I look him up
online after hearing about my film debut. From there, I took a chance
and ordered Dream Reaper. I laughed my ass off!
When a Myspace casting call came for zombie extras, I
jumped on it. Erik A. Williams, St. Louis' answer to Kevin Bacon (and Gameheads
co-star) joined me. And that was that - we are both Hack regulars now.
How
did you get the role in your debut Gameheads (2007), interestingly enough
not a Hack Movies-production, and what's that film about?
On a whim, I responded to a casting call at the local Y. I had never
done anything like that before, but, at the time, it was the beginning of
some serious changes in my life. Fortunately, not enough people showed up
for all the parts...
Gameheads is a fine comedy about a day in the lives of a
group of role-playing gamers. It is dialogue heavy and reflective in a
humourous sort of way. This is an ideal film for anyone who ever
played Dungeons and Dragons, or anyone who thinks Kevin Smith is a
great artist (like myself.) I am as proud of this effort as the Hack
movies, though the genre is a little divergent from Kevin Strange's
trademark horror-comedies.
What can you
tell us about your first Hack Movies
film, Dead Shit (2007)? Okay - this was
basically my initiation. Zombie make-up, fake blood, the works. I went
from not knowing anyone aside from Erik to assisting with special effects
and doing a really bad undead impersonation. I worked a third-shift job at
the time; the experience was surreal beyond the reality of the production.
Yet I couldn't wait to do it again.
A
few words about Colonel Kill, Motherfuckers (2008)? If
one is willing to be humiliated and covered in all manners of fake goo and
bodily fluids, and one is willing to continue to beg for such treatment,
one can get meatier and meatier roles in Hack films. Kevin awarded me the
minor-but-juicy part of the old, weird, homeless guy in Colonel Kill, Motherfuckers.
I had a splendid time with it. My convincing public
performance resulted in a concerned call to the owner of the Eur-Orleans
Cafe. (I was laying on the sidewalk next to the Strangeville Cafe. At least one local resident thought I was a real bum.)
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Kevin Strange as CockHammer |
Your upcoming Hack Movies-film is called
CockHammer - any relation to Cockhammer,
the
character Kevin Strange played in Stiff
Jobs?
As stated above, CockHammer is now a sequel to Stiff
Jobs. Expect more of the same wonderfully raunchy humour, no doubt
cranked up a notch. Kevin has a few surpises in store for everyone; I
don't want to steal his thunder. Let's just say you don't want to miss
this one.
Hack Movies' output is known for its rather offensive and pretty macabre
humour. Is this a kind of humour you share?
Um, I wouldn't say I go so far...but I certainly get a kick out of it.
I will say that the extent has sometimes flabbergasted me; the results
definitely pay off. Kevin does what he does well, and he knows how to
surround himself with the right people. With a combination like that, one
can pull off anything. What are your aspirations as an actor? To
revel in the magic of it. To continue to be a part of kinetic art. To be a
piece of a greater whole. To grow and to learn. And maybe even get paid
one day. (The placement here IS in order of importance.) What
can you tell us about your involvement in The Book (2009)?
There's not a lot to be said about this right now. This is a project of
one of Erik A. Williams' friends. It has great promise. It is a profound
story. I hope it is eventually finished.
I was priviliged enough to work the boom mike one day. That was
the extent. And this is how much I like this realm of the arts; it
doesn't take much to get me to help out on a production.
Besides
acting, you are also a writer. A few words about your books and stories,
and where to get them?
I am first and foremost a writer. Thus far, an amateur writer. I have
penned award-winning short pieces over the years, primarily for running
publications and the local newspapers.
To date, I have two novels and a non-fiction book that I am in the
endless process of trying to get published. (One, Zero Main Street, is available as a print-on-demand book at http://www.lulu.com/content/6149597. My others will soon be offered there as well.) And I have a short
story coming out in a Southern Illinois University collection next
month.
The novels - Zero and Baptists Gone Wild - are
sequential existential romances. Main characters include a
shiftless pizza delivery driver and a Wiccan-wannabe named
Satan-Boy. Much hilarity ensues. It is biting social
commentary/satire that is not for the easily-offended or
religiously conservative.
Dream Warriors, my non-fiction manuscript, is an
introspective, first-person analysis of my experiences with
bizarre dreaming patterns and how they might be related to
supernatural phenomena.
But if
you know any literary agents who REALLY take on new
authors/projects, please let me know. Please.
Your website/mySpace/whatever else? If
anyone wants to know more - including the latest on Hack minutae - check
out my Myspace (www.davidwayneblack.com)
or look for me on Facebook. Any
upcoming projects you'd like to share with us? Aside from CockHammer (and other future
Hack properties), I am set to pen
a second sequel to Zero Main Street, and I'm working on
extending a story about a vegetarian werewolf into a novel-length piece.
Additionally, Kevin asked me to create some stuff for a anthology piece;
short films may go in production soon through him or another local firm,
JMan films - www.myspace.com/JManfilms. What do you
actually do besides working on films and writing?
I have a hetero-life mate, two kids, and a dog that keep me from being
bored. I am also pursuing a second college degree...in Special
Education, no less. And I have a serious distance-running addiction. I
mean SERIOUS. Occasionally, I work as a substitute teacher's aide.
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Actors (or
actresses, actually) and writers who inspire you?
Kevin inspires me. As does Erik A. Williams and all the Hack regulars.
All of the local independent guys and gals who do it for the love of the
art.
As far as big names ... Kevin Spacey, Christopher Walken, Brad Pitt, Cary
Grant, Janeane Garofalo, Frances McDormand, Queen Latifah ... this
list could go on and on.
Writers: my first love and inspiration is Stephen King. I'm
partial to Michael Connelly, Dan Brown, Anne Rice, Dean Koontz, and
Isaac Asimov. This is another long list.
What kind of
movies do you like to watch privately, and your favourite films?
I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith and the Coen brothers. Between these two
artistic powerhouses are my favourite Hollywood movies of
all time. But I really like the local scene here in St. Louis right now.
Until Stiff
Jobs, two other faves were Dream
Reaper and Gameheads. Does that sound narcissistic? (I
wasn't in Dream Reaper.)
...
and of course, some films you really deplored? The 1990's
film version of The Little Rascals is the only time I walked
out of a theater. The Manitou with Tony Curtis was the worst
one I ever sat through from beginning to end. I could name others, but
those are the worst. I think I have managed to avoid quite a few simply by
having precious little time to watch. Anything else
you are dying to tell us and I've simply forgotten to ask? No
one can truly call themselves a film connoiseur unless they own Gameheads and the entire
Hack Movies catalog! Support local
arts! Buy our stuff! Buy my books! Thanks for the interview and thanks for
watching. Thanks
for the interview!
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