Section: The Devil Inside

BRAINS FOR DINNER, BRAINS FOR LUNCH, BRAINS FOR BREAKFAST, BRAINS FOR BRUNCH …

Nos: You can tell you really love something when it goes through a fit of popularity, vomits out a bunch of half assed movies, and you still, STILL want more. This is how I feel about zombie movies. I have no idea why horror trends to the point of ad nauseum…. but it does. Vampires are all the rage now but not all that long ago, zombies ruled both the big and small screen.  This was a mixed blessing that brought both trash and strokes of brilliance to the genre.  Whether you enjoy the new, rapid moving zombies or prefer the classic, slow moving kind … if you have mad love for the sleek Hollywood interpretations or stay loyal to the Italian screen, zombies have an undeniable appeal to them. I think it’s because they’re the most believable out of all the monsters. Something deep down inside of you always knows that you could wake up in the zombie apocalypse any day now. Well that’s how my mind drifts anyway…

Chad Cherry and I have decided to give our lists for the top picks for zombie movies. Romero has been left off our lists because most of his films are a given. We’ll talk more about him towards the end …

Chad: For the most, part Zombies are depicted as mindless, decaying corpses who love eating human flesh. For the record, they like brains in particular. But you should already know this fashion fiends. (To me this sounds like the normal everyday person I see on the streets, just replace the lust of cranium noodle for greed.)

The “Zombie” likeness has been shoved down our throats so much recently, I feel as if the undead are no longer scary. In ‘09 Zombies and Vampires became king. But only the candy-coated Disney-esque almost-lovable ones which are safe enough for church and family time in front of the idiot box ( That’s t.v… I still like you idiot box ) …

Fuck that! I’m gonna show you the real deal ugly Zombie movies which will scar you and the kids, the shit Hollywood wants to flush down the toilet!

It’s time to realize these atrocities are neither cute nor funny, and they are not ‘for cryin’ in the night’ sexy. Unless they’re eating your flesh in Lip Service clothing, that is!

READY TO GET BLOODY ON THIS ONE BITCHES?

In the beginning…..

Author, and one of my favorite un-p.c.horror gurus, H.P. Lovecraft wrote of such monsters in novelettes which explored undead themes back in the 1920’s and into the 30’s. Some of his stories portrayed Frankenstein-inspired creeps which helped define the modern concept of the Zombie. (“In the Vault” might have the first recorded character bitten by one.)

W.B. Seabrook’s book “The Magic Island” exposed western culture to the concept of voodoo cults in Haiti resurrecting stiffs in 1929. It’s the book that introduced the word “Zombi” in to U.S. speech. Well alright!!! Enough of those silly things with words and such in ‘em … What are they called again … Reading hankies? Oh! Books! That’s right … You all want MOVIES!

(You will regret this.)

I’ve hit up some of my favorite obvious “Zombie” flicks in previous articles, so I’ll be touchin’ on some which need to be in the spotlight … But honestly … They should be left in the shadows.

Chad’s picks!

WHITE ZOMBIE

1932. Directed by Victor Halperin and starring Bela Lugosi (If you don’t know who Bela is chloroform yourself.), White Zombie is regarded as the first real zombie film ever. It has a voodoo theme three years prior to Seabrook’s book. This is where the blood ball get’s rollin’ and the walking dead start to become movie stars.

EROTIC NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD

1980 by Joe D’Amato. Fucking Italian! Horror, exploitation, eroticism, rip off artist and voyeurism. Porno Zombie Rape! Euuuwww… Good luck finding this one. (While yer lookin’ check for “Porno Holocaust” and the ‘nunsploitation’ “Images in a Covent”) X trash. The music is ridiculously awesome.

ZOMBIE NIGHTMARE

1986 by Jack Braveman. A complete ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000″ flick. (All of these fuckers are.) But the soundtrack: Motorhead, Virgin Steele, Girl School, and one from the ‘glam- metal’ era by Pantera. Jon Miki Thor did the incidental music and plays the Zombie (reasons to not see this). To make up for that, it’s Tia Carrere’s feature film debut. Before she started “Crucial Tawnt” and met Wayne. Ugh.

Mutual Nos & Chad Favorites!

ZOMBI II (A.K.A. ZOMBIE)

1979 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: This will always be my favorite zombie film and it’s the standard I set all other zombie films by. Unfair? Perhaps … but when it’s the King of all zombie movies, you have to show some respect. One of the more amazing things about this film is the flesh eaters look like they’ve been rotting. Have you seen the poster art? Fucking disgusting and I adore it. There’s even an epic zombie v.s. shark scene and whole lot of creepy Voodoo. Very much worth your time.

Chad: The flick that put Fulci on the map. Conservative British Parliament scorned this puppy. A Zombie actually fights a real tiger shark underwater. Top that shit. Banned in several countries. Another “Video Nasties”. Likey.

BRAINDEAD (A.K.A. DEAD ALIVE)

1992 by Peter Jackson.
Nos: Pre LORD OF THE RINGS crap-fest Peter Jackson is pretty damn cool. This movie is gross and fun to spring on unsuspecting people at a party. A Sumatran monkey/rat gets the party started by taking a bite out of an old woman, who turns into a zombie. Our hero must fight to protect his new found love and his home town.

Chad: All I have to say is that there’s like a 10 minute lawnmower Zombie splatter, and I mean splatter, scene that will never be topped. Fuckin’ knarly! This one will gross out the most liberal horror fan. A true “Splatstick” Hahaha!!!! SHUT UP!

THE BEYOND

1981 by Lucio Fulci.
Nos: Another classic Fulci that takes place in the great state of Louisiana. While this really is more of a ghost story, there are still some incredible zombies populating this film. GRINDHOUSE releasing put out a great DVD of this which I highly recommend you find.

Chad: I’m a sucker for Italians. What can I say? Praise this one for oneiric incoherence. Dreamy and deadly. Love this!

& 

Nos’ Picks!

THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW

By Wes Craven.
Not only is this an amazing zombie film, it’s also my favorite by Mr. Craven. This story takes a very realistic approach to zombies and explores the ties to Haiti where the legend comes from.  This is one of the few films which creeps me out every time I watch it.  Bill Pullman (CASPER) plays an anthropologist in search of a drug used in black magic, which he hope to bring back to the states for profit. What awaits him in Haiti is something truly terrifying.

DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE (A.K.A.CEMETERY MAN)

By Michele Soavi
Rupert Everett stars as Francesco Dellamorte, a cemetery keeper who is placed with the task of killing the zombies the rise from the burial ground. A truly beautiful film! I really wish Everett did more horror, he looks dreamy covered in gore…

28 DAYS LATER

By Danny Boyle
Some people make a negative fuss over this movie but honestly I really love it. 28 DAYS is a whole new look at a zombie apocalypse. I like the virus approach to newer zombie films anyway and feel this movie really nailed it. Not in the least bit traditional and alarmingly accurate to how humans would handle such a thing. And while I do prefer my zombies to move at a slower pace, I got to admit that if they moved like they do in this film, we all would be fucked.  If for some reason you missed this a few years ago, check it out!

Chad: There’s a lot of 80s stuff going on there, but I could go on and on and on and … on with Zombie movies that you all love more than Justin Beiber’s swoopy head, (Sorry J.B., I know you are an easy target, I can do better.) but I’m gonna stop this madness right now and give it all up to the master of disaster on this subject. He will be the first to deny this fact but the GodZombieFather of it all is …

George A. Romero

Nos: You could really write volumes on this man’s work alone. While I’m not personally a fan of all “DEAD” movies, most have a special place in my heart. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD was one of the first ten horror films I saw and I think I still watch it at least three times a year.  For being made in 1968, this movie has a real 1950’s b-movie feel to it. Take that and combine it with brilliant writing and infuse social commentary and you’ve got yourself the perfect zombie movie, my friend! Romero’s formula for zombies evolves with every new entry. He stays true to the original root but is never afraid to expand and take risks with the world he has created. This man is truly fucking brilliant.

Chad:
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD -1968

THE CRAZIES (still a zombie movie) -1971

DAWN OF THE DEAD -1978

DAY OF THE DEAD -1985

LAND OF THE DEAD -2005

DIARY OF THE DEAD-2008

SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD – 2010

Cheers to you Mr. Romero.

Now, I don’t even wanna think about getting C.C. brain juice on my Lip Service jeans. Cerebral cortex is so messy and can leave such awful stains. I realize the cingulate gyrus and the temporal lobe are some of the tastiest parts, and you really gotta dig deep to get at em’, but come on! … Very hard to get out of the material. So you “Zombies” out there… (I see some of you right now) Back off. Cuz I WILL make ya watch some of these movies that are made about you. And you don’t want that now do you.. Ya rotten bastards….

Well that’s that. I bid you all a good evening and remember one thing about Zombies kiddies …“SHOOT ‘EM MAN!!! … SHOOT ‘EM IN THE HEAD”!!!!

(All views in this article do not reflect on Lip Service … Lip Service does not promote the eradication of the living dead unless they have terrible sense in fashion )

From out of the coffin and into your heart.
-Rock-n-Roll Astro Vampire Zombie TLV Motherf**ker from Hell… (Huh?)
-Chad Cherry XXX
Come see the sexy scary sounds of The Last Vegas… If you dare…You can not hide.. I am everywhere. Mwwuahahaha!!!!
thelastvegas.com

Nos: Well I’ve been on the road most of this summer! My website (Goddessofgorenos.com) has been met with great enthusiasm and I am truly grateful for all the support I’ve been given.  Film project wise, RATLINE is looking better and better each day … I can’t wait to show it off to the world! Till then you can a clip of it up on FEARNET.com

Xo

Nos

Seriously. I’ve come full circle with these damn things…

Just like the “She/He has schizophrenia and the whole ending is part of a delusion” got really old, really fast, remakes don’t have a good track record. At first I was on the fence about them. TEXAS CHAINSAW blew the big one but I really enjoyed HILLS HAVE EYES. Then the onslaught of crap-o-rama came.  Nothing was sacred from big budget remakes and the studios (naturally) didn’t give two shits whether it looked good, made sense, or even had longevity.  They just wanted the profits from opening weekend.

“Oh the injustice!” … “Oh the shame!”

Horror fans around the globe, myself included, bitched up a storm as one by one our favorites got re-cast with WB actors. I boycotted, wrote angry things on forums, and burned promo posters to express my rage at the situation. Then I just sorta got numb to the whole thing. Eventually, I started to see the positives … like the fact that some forgotten treasures found the their way to a special edition DVD because of the remake. I began to calm down and just accept that it’s all part of the landscape.

Then came the “American version” remakes.

Yes, I understand this concept is nothing new. Japanese horror film renditions  for American viewers saw a great surge ten years ago (THE RING, THE GRUDGE). The popular response to these remakes was always “Well I found the original to be much more scary, when I saw it two years ago.” – In this particular situation, I’m gonna have to call people out on a little bit of bull. There is a huge cultural and language difference between America and Japan. It’s not to say their films can’t be scary (Hello, AUDITION)  but pound for pound these films don’t tend to strike a fear chord with us. In these cases I can see why an American version is appealing.

What’s really getting my Irish up are these American versions of French, Spanish, and Italian films … that were made less than five years ago. Long gone are the days of imports, when you had the option to watch a foreign film dubbed in English or (God forbid) in its original language with subtitles in the theater. In this politically correct society, we are much too delicate for horror films (or any film for that matter) which may challenge or disgust us.  So we take a concept and homogenize it to fit our standards. This is both an outrage and a perfect snapshot of today’s America.

Conspiracy? Maybe … but that’s a topic to be explored in another column. Right now I’m just pissed off because the producer from TWILIGHT has a hold of the MARTYRS remake.

IN OTHER NEWS ……

The long awaited Nos website … goddessofgorenos.com  has an official content launch date! That means I’ll be terrorizing the internet with my own brand of sexy in just a few days. It’s different, doesn’t play by the rules, and I’m sure you’ll love it.  - Or you’ll hate it and never talk to me again. Either way it all goes down JULY 1st!

My bestie Ugly Shyla (http://www.uglyart.net/) has been hard at work on new morbid fine art dolls. Check out the latest one on her etsy shop. Ugly’s work is pretty incredible and any fan of horror should own at least ONE of her pieces in their lifetime.

AFTER PARTY MASSACRE has its first trailer up and I’m in it! Wheee! http://www.afterpartymassacre.com/mdf/

XoXo

Nos

FAKE BLOOD..SCARE ME LIKE THE REAL THING!

STEVE JOHNSON HAS MADE YOUR LIFE AMAZING AND FUN!!!! He has been inside your imagination and cinematic dreams (or nightmares) for a long time…. And you probably don’t even know who he is. Well that’s about to change rockers and slaves to fashion.

While I should have been doing my homework as a youngster, I found a much better after-school activity instead … No, stop thinkin’ dirty thoughts, freaks … Special F/X!!! You know, an extra leg on the dog, eyeballs that squirt jell-o, a severed finger that won’t stop moving, exploding skulls … etc.

Finding Social Studies and Home-Economics bland, I was too busy trying to learn how the hell to make these horrible creatures from movies that scare the shit out of everyone. I wanted a real education …in BLOOD!!! Ok, fake blood… Where the hell can I find fake blood when it’s nowhere near Halloween? Then I discovered a man who could give me that answer and the education that I needed in life … The school of STEVE JOHNSON!!! He taught me how to make all the blood I needed! And all the ingredients could be found from the shelves of my mom’s kitchen (I didn’t have to try to drain it from the neighbor kids anymore). It was a complete freak-show mess in my house after that! Blood everything!

Award winning F/X designer Steve Johnson was introduced to the Hollywood F/X scene after meeting with make-up artist Rick Baker in Steve’s home state of Texas. (If you don’t know Rick B. read my older ‘Devil Inside’ interviews dang it!) By the time he was 18 Steve moved to Cali and cut his teeth on such productions as ‘Tanya’s Island,’ ‘The Fog’ and ‘The Howling’.

Later, as Baker was assembling his select team in London for the production of ‘An American Werewolf in London,’ he again invited Johnson to join him. This position lead to key supervisory roles on ‘Videodrome’ (Debbie Harry from Blondie yum yum!) and ‘Greystoke’ on which he supervised the animatronic ape shoot in Africa. Robot Apes … Saweet!

By the mid-80s Steve was appointed head of Richard Edlund’s Boss Film Corporation creature shop for productions including ‘Ghostbusters’, ‘Fright Night’, ‘Poltergeist II’ and ‘Big Trouble in Little China’. ( F#@K – YA!) This position not only presented him with the challenge of realizing cutting edge F/X for major studio goodies, it also allowed him to bring larger than life concepts to an F/X work force of up to 80 full time freaks. This led to the formation of his own company XFX, Inc.

Originally based in Sun Valley, CA, Steve’s XFX, Inc. made a huge name for itself with its originality of design, attention to detail and innovative use of materials. Like the demise of Freddy Kreuger in R. Harlin’s ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street IV’ which lead to massive budget projects, like, oh say James Cameron’s ‘The Abyss’.

Steve is the man! He has brought XFX, Inc. to the forefront of the industry and continues to be actively involved with the conceptual development, hands on design and on set application for all his shows. A true leader in his field for sure.

He was awarded his first Emmy for Stephen King’s 8 hour mini-series ‘The Stand’ and continues to produce ass kicking, ground breaking make-up imagery for commercials, TV, theme parks, and film. Oh, and get this…. Emmy number 2 for S.King’s ‘The Shining’ series!

XFX, Inc. has kept very busy creating top-notch make-up and wicked creature F/X for ‘The Outer Limits,’ Stargate SG-1 and Steven Spielberg’s ‘Taken’.

Here is what Steve Johnson has done for you………………

War of the Worlds, The Cat in the Hat, Blade II, Charmed, Wrongfully Accused, Host, The Shining (mini-series), Night Watch, Eraser, Here Come the Munsters, Lord of Illusions, Species I and II, Exquisite Tenderness, Night Of the Demons I and II, The Stand, Brainscan, Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, Return of the Living Dead III, The Temp, Innocent Blood, Pet Sematary II, Highway to Hell, To Save a Child, A Grande Arte, Monsters (t.v), Howling IV: Original Nightmare, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Master, Dead Heat, Solarbabies, Big Trouble in Little China, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Howling II: Stirba: Werewolf Bitch, Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, Tanya’s Island, Humandoids from the Deep, The Fog, Spiderman 2, Daai Zek lou, The Rundown, Arachnid, Necronomicon, Red Planet, The Dentist, Bad Moon, The General’s Daughter, The Rapture, Suburban Commando, Howing VI : The Freaks, Night Angel, The Abyss, Leviathan, Predator, Virus, The Warlord, Evolver, Amistad, Freaked, Poltergeist II: The Other Side, Fright Night, Ghostbusters, Rose Red, Where the Wild Things Are, Bicentennial Man….. I can keep going!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOW DOWN CREEPS!!!!

Plus self-produced ‘behind the scenes’ making of kick-ass-ery-ness! All done by himself!

I SAY DOWN DOGS!!!!

Steve and I have been chatting over the months so I thought this would be a great opportunity to let you rock-n-roll freak-a-zoids in on what’s cool.. That’s what I do …

Talking with this master of the Special F/X (and my hero) during his busy schedule via Skype went a li’l something like this …

This interview was really hard for me to do with all the outrageous laughter that was going on the whole time….. So just put it this way… Steve and I are looney tunes and we were both drinking.

Chad Cherry: Steve I know you’ve done a ton of movies and have worked w/ some amazing people. Can you tell me which film you’ve had the most fun working on?

Steve Johnson: The most fun? That’s really easy, and I despise questions like this which I’m sure you do too, but I’ll spin off and answer it anyway cuz I like the sound of my own voice … Clearly … Easily … ‘Ghostbusters’. I mean look, ‘Ghostbusters’ was a comedy and people like me don’t often get the chance to work on a comedy so by virtue of the fact that you’re working on a comedy on set everyone is trying to make ya laugh and have a good time.

It really was a fantastic time and you know that the movie has become an icon, it’s a major, major film and when you look back this year is the 25th anniversary for it comin’ out and the world wide enthusiasm for it is rabid. I’m like fuck, that was an incredible once in a life time experience. So ‘Ghostbusters’… My most fun.

C.C. Well since you hated that question, I’m gonna stick to the program. Which one is the bloodiest? Most sick?

S.J. You are the worst interviewer.

C.C. I’m amazing.

S.J. But yer still gonna go for it. Well that’s a tough one, cuz a lot of those films were independently produced … Let’s see … Which one would the people recognize? … Ya know I really didn’t do a ton of bloody stuff. I tried to veer away from that actually. Maybe ‘Night of the Demons II’. On the first one the producers, director and writer wanted it to be a psychological horror for a low budget movie but on the 2nd one they tried to step it up a lil’ bit. “Just pour more blood on it! I don’t care if it takes 100 gallons, just pour more blood on it”! Spew it from fire extinguishers and we’ll get a reaction from the audience. So ‘Night of the Demons II’ … I just made that up … It’s not really true.

C.C. That’s o.k. … It’s all bullshit anyway. I’m not even gonna put this interview out. The questions that I’ve asked you so far have gone down hill … let’s keep rollin’ like that.

S.J. Ya, these are suckie questions.

C.C. Speakin’ of blood! Now that we are off the subject. Fake blood! Let’s talk about it. A very crucial part of horror or any movie for that matter. You taught me how to make it years ago. Steve can you tell the rest of the creeps of the world your infamous recipe for it? Let’s hear it.

S.J. Go online. Type in fake blood. Then order a gallon of it. That’s the way to go.

C.C. No, no, no, that’s too easy man! We want the kids to get creative here at Lip Service.

S.J. O.K. … Fake blood. Here’s easily how it goes. Caro (clear) syrup (pancake syrup) and food coloring. You used to be able to get it at the store, at least when I was a kid. Put red in it, if it’s too red, use yellow. If you want fresh blood make it brighter and if you want older blood make it darker. And then the way to really have it kick is to make it a tiny bit opaque and the way to do that is to actually use zinc oxide. And you can get that anywhere cuz it’s basically suntan lotion. If you’ve ever seen surfers w/ that white strip on their nose … that’s zinc oxide. So if you want it to be incredibly cool, that’s how ya do it.

C.C. And it’s tasty. I used to put it on my pancakes.

S.J. You made blood pancakes?

C.C. Ya, now I’m hungry so I gotta go … See ya … So what’s up with the story of a very young Steve Johnson in grade school making himself up to look like a bum, beard and all, so he could buy adult beverages for the kiddies. True or false?

S.J. It’s not only true, but I did it on more then one occasion and got away with it.

C.C. You kick ass for that! Hands down one of the most r-n-r stories ever.

S.J. For a 14 year old livin’ in Texas, I was like in 7th grade. Ya, I was the hero of all my friends. It worked. That is a r-n-r story, now we’re cookin’!

C.C. Alright, alright! You have 2, count em’ 2 Emmys. To me this next question sounds like something I would do givin’ the chance. You lost one! Steve, how the fuck did you lose one of yer Emmys?

S.J. It’s true, I did lose one of them. Here’s what happened. I Got fired from ‘Where the Wild things Are’ and from ‘Spiderman III’ from within an 8 hour period. 18 million $ down the drain in 8 hours and what are ya gonna do at this point? So what I decided to do was become a fugitive from the law cuz I saw the digital world comin’, I saw it for years and all the smart people have gone back to M.I.T., they’ve gone back to Pennsylvania to Fine Art. They’re not gonna sit back and make 12$ an hour like a fuckin’ plummer and I run their company. What am I gonna do? And so I thought, o.k. this is just a phase, this digital thing will go away. So I was completely delusional ya know and I’m thinking this is my career for the last 30 years, it will get fixed, it’s fantasy film it will go back to practical F/X.

And then Spike Jones calls me up from ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ and wants to do everything practical and I’m thinkin’ great! Finally! And on top of that … a 15 million $ paycheck. This is gonna be great! Well, he has one of his minions call me up after I had worked on the show for 8 months right, and then he goes, “Not only are we not gonna give you 15 mill but yer fired … and we are gonna do it all digitally and we’re gonna give the grunt work to the Henson corporation.”

So I’m like well o.k., at least I still have ‘Spiderman III’. I did the first and second so at least I still have the third. Then I get called into a meeting for 20th Century Fox that night and they say “Steve, sorry we are gonna do this all digitally … Yer fired” … So I went home. I just lost 18 million dollars and it will never ever, ever come back again. So literally … I can’t believe I’m giving you the scoop on this Chad, cuz nobody has heard this shit yet! But we are drinkin’ and this is fun so what the hell … So I went into my studio the next day and I talk to all my higher ups, had a big meeting and asked … What are we gonna do?

We just lost 18 mill, we have 15,000 $ monthly bills to run the company and we don’t have a job. We’re out, it’s over. And so my coolest guy, cool as ice all the time says to me, “I’ll tell you what you should do. There’s only one answer. You should rob your own company, take everything you’ve got and become a fugitive in some South American country and live as long as you can.” And as insane as I was, Chad, at that point it sounded reasonable. I was like, he’s right! I’m gonna rob my own company and go south of the border like fuckin’ Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And I did!

Within a month I had left like one cig burnin’ on the table top and I ended up in Costa Rica for a year on an observation platform with no electricity and monkeys hoppin’ in and out of my house.

Ya, so I guess yer getting this breaking story … I knew this would get good. So that’s what happened … Wait I forgot the question…

C.C. It doesn’t matter anymore Steve.

S.J. Wait, here is the saddest part about what I just told you. That as it turned out, no one cared. I was the worlds shittiest fugitive. No one cared. So I came back to L.A. and was just waiting for the F.B.I. but they just looked at my passport and said “O.k. poor bastard, just clean it up” and they let me back in. I was a shitty, shitty fugitive.

C.C. Let me just say that that’s completely fucking insane … But what a great story!

S.J. I’ve looked at it in a bunch of ways and now that I’m back in L.A. People can contact me now, like you. Cuz when I was workin’ with monkeys in Costa Rica no one could get a hold of me. But now that I’m back, who would expect anything less.

C.C. Is there any way I can rent out yer old place with the monkeys? Cuz that sounds pretty good for me right now.

S.J. Absolutely. I’ll point you in the right direction.

C.C. Thank you Steve.

S.J. We should be snorting sea monkeys right now …

C.C. We need to do this high on sea monkeys. This is how we roll Steve.

C.C. Seriously.

S.J. Seriously.

S.J. Back to yer interview.

C.C. Let’s talk about your youtube channel. This is amazing!

S.J. Type in rubberrules or stevejohnsonfx . The intro episode is the real reason why the channel was born, cuz I’ve got 100,000 still photos from my entire 30 year career of every step of every movie I’ve ever done. I’ve got 10,000 hours of behind the scenes video and 20,000 pieces of original art work. I looked at this big piece of stuff when I got back from Costa Rica and said ‘what am I gonna do with all this?’ What does one do with the spoils of movies? I mean I just turned 50, what am I gonna do, come down here to my basement every 5 years and pull out old photos and jerk off, it’s ridiculous. I realized that this stuff needs to be shared. Not a lot of people have done that, documented their careers so specific and complete.

I had to look at it and thought, this is a really serious thing and there are a lot of people really interested in this so what better way to share it then to put it out on youtube for free. And that’s how that came about.

C.C. There is so much hard work that goes into it, the detail, the design, the wicked shit that ends up hitting the cutting room floor. I think this is important. I think people need to see this.

S.J. We have about a year’s worth of episodes so, in about a month or so, the show will be up with fury.

C.C. Do you see younger folks getting into the craft and the art of F/X? Kids wanting to work hands on with foam latex, sculpting creatures, making fake blood. Is this old school now? Is it going toward C.G.I.?

S.J. You know Chad that’s a really good question. You would think that it would, but it’s not the case. In the film industry producers aren’t paying people like me to create characters anymore. They pay digital guys to hit their buttons and that’s where it’s been for a while.

As a result of that, what I’ve found incredibly fascinating within the past years or so, is that there seems to be an innate desire in a huge percentage of our population to want to create physical things of the fantastic. Not the mental things, but physical things.

I just went to a huge convention in L.A. called Monsterpalooza. Oh my god!!! I couldn’t believe it. Since my type of art has kinda been nudged to the side for digital technology, I’ve been so amazed to see not only is the art still there but it’s blossomed in a way it never has before. Since there’s no one paying money for it anymore and it’s just turned into a game and a business, which I know you know what it’s like being in the music biz. What’s happened since the biz aspect has been dissected for monster-makers, the art has risen. It’s bloomed in a way that I couldn’t have imagined.

1st there was 5 times as many people there, 2nd it was mostly people creating for art’s sake. Full body Lon Chaney from the 1931 Wolfman. Lon Chaney! And then a series for his transformation into the Wolf! And it truly was like a M. Angelo sculpture. Ultra-realistic and this guy did it for no reason other then the sake of art. And that was just one example. It seems to me since the film industry has squashed the need for making monsters that the kids in the basement have risen to fight it.

There is a desire to make things and it’s blooming more than I have ever seen.

C.C. So good to hear! When we lose our passion and soul for art, things turn to shit. People can see through it. Some anyway.

S.J. Art creates itself like the sweat through pores. There’s a reason people want to create these thing and remember them. I don’t know, I’m really just happy to see it.

C.C. It’s call being completely nutz!…. Well this is just amazing and a real treat for the fans that love movie magic. Before I wrap this up. I got to do it Steve.

S.J. I knew it….

C.C. Top 5 favorite Rock bands, man?

S.J. I was waiting for this. How can you as a musician, as a writer, ask me this? It’s like asking yer top 5 favorite words in the English language! haha! Come on!!! Ridiculous! I mean, Chad, you know that music is a language! Here is the thing, not only is it a language, it’s a drug. And God knows I like every drug.

C.C. Me too.

S.J. It sounds cavalier and very Hunter S. Thompson but music is a drug. Music comes into yer mind and what it does is it unlocks a certain valve to derail chemicals that make you feel a certain way. I mean it really does. It’s not like you’re putting something foreign into yer body, these chemicals exist and it’s key. It’s a pharmacist that says I want to listen to Chad Cherry’s band and drive really fast down the highway and have a car crash! Or listen to Genesis and want to slow down … Maybe gay out for the night.

C.C. I listen to Depeche Mode when I want to gay out for the evening. I really do. I don’t give a shit.

S.J. I’m being esoteric

C.C. We can be whatever we want.

S.J. I stopped listening to rock music in high school in ‘78. Of course Aerosmith, the Nug, Frampton … If ya wanna call him rock. I was listening to all those things but, as time has gone by, I find I try to listen to things that calm me cuz music can tame the savage soul and after 30 years in the film industry … I listen to TLV and I want to drive off a cliff!!! I’m not ready to die … I’m quite certain that I haven’t answered yer question, but that’s all yer gonna get.

C.C. Perfect!

S.J. Come back to L.A. I love yer music! I post it on my wall, you guys rip but I need to see it live, Cherry. It’s the best live!

C.C. We are going to party when I get back.

S.J. This will be a bit dangerous.

C.C. That is how it goes. I can’t wait.

S.J. Awesome. Well maybe you can make sense out of this interview.

C.C. I highly doubt it, but who needs to makes sense anymore anyway. Let’s confuse them with beautiful madness. See you when I rock L.A. again.

S.J. I think we have too much fun! That’s why we are potentially dangerous friends. Skipping hand and hand through the gates of hell.

C.C. Of course. We’re fucked. I can’t wait for you to read this and say “That motherfucker made me sound like a punk!”

S.J. I don’t care if you tell people that I went to Thailand and got a sex change operation … I really don’t care.

C.C. Done.

S.J. There’s yer story …

So check out Mr. Johnson’s youtube channel he has set up to share with all you maniacs. It’s at – stevejohnsonfx’s- This will blow your mind! If you still have one … Take a look at all the madness from its origins and see the craft of a man and his team who actually create the movie monsters and inhuman beasts we love and fear. If you are not into Special F/X, you will be after taking a glimpse at the experience Steve will let you in on.

Oh hell! It looks like I got some blood all over my Lip Service stretch fuck’n jeans … And it’s not Steve’s recipe either … It’s the real McCoy! MMMMmmm that’s good human! Damn, I liked the color of those jeans too, but the red is more suiting for this article, anyway, I guess.

So I’m looking forward to influencing and possibly seducing you into my darkside of rock-n-roll by giving you all ‘On the Road with Stretch Fuck’n Jeans’ blogs Chad Cherry style while I’m prowling around the world with The Last Vegas … Coming soon to a victim like you … Are ya ready?

CHAD CHERRY -crazy rock guy-. XXX www.thelastvegas.com

Greetings fellow Lippy fans!

Last week I had the pleasure of returning to a film set … and it was long overdue. With the exception of short films, I haven’t shot on a feature since RATLINE wrapped. So when Kristoff Bates asked me to part of AFTER PARTY MASSACRE, I was pretty damn stoked about it!

I don’t really remember how I know Kristoff. In all honesty we run in the same circles and probably met several times before it stuck. I think about 3 years ago he sent me a message introducing himself officially and we became friends. In any case we’ve been looking for a chance to work with each other for awhile now. You wouldn’t think this would be much of a challenge considering he’s a photographer, runs naked girl websites, owns/runs Horror Merch (www.horrormerch.com), goes to several horror conventions a year, AND lives in the mid west like me.  However it seemed something also came up or we’d just miss each other and nothing ever got a chance to happen.

Earlier this year Kristoff and I started talking about AFTER PARTY MASSACRE and how I might be able to fit into the project. Cleveland is a 9 hour drive away and the project had a limited budget; I could only really be cast in something that was shot in one weekend. There where some scheduling conflicts too, not on mine or Kristoff’s end, but from other actors ….this caused dates to pushed around. Such is life on a independent film set. I’m actually pretty amazed on how well Kristoff did handle himself with all the changes. Making a movie is HARD, and it’s even worse when people flake out on you. But he rolled with the proverbial punches and kept going.

I made the drive through Ohio, passing the town where I spent my summers knee deep in a church conference,  ready to spend the better half of 14 hours topless and covered in blood. It seems I’m never one to lack in poetic flair.

When I got in the first night I was greeted by Kristoff waving a dildo in the middle of the street to point me in the direction of his house. I then met the stunning Danica Satanica, who is an up and coming model/actress. I’ve been stalking her on Facebook (DanicaSatanica) for awhile now and it was great to finally talk with her person! She’s a very sweet and talented woman.

I also got to meet to co-mastermind behind AFTER PARTY, Kyle Severn. Kyle is also the drummer for Incantation….I’ve been making a lot of metal girls jealous when I tell them I worked on a project of his.  He was really nice to work with and very dedicated. Always a great combination when you’re pulling a long day on set.

And it was a very long day on set my friends! If you’ve never worked on movie set before let me tell ya … 5 minutes in a film equal about 10 hours on a shoot. We had 3 kill scenes to do and all of them required pretty elaborate special effects. In the end it was well worth the wait because everything looked amazing. I don’t want to give too much away … but one of the effects is a leg getting chopped off and meat chunks flying into the air! How fucking cool is that?

The biggest trooper of night was the stunning Scarlett Von Sinn! She stood for 14 hours in stiletto boots and lugged an ax around. My type of chick! Krisoff caught me taking pictures of her ass.I may have giggled like a school girl when she talked to me. Nothing out of the ordinary. I didn’t hear her bitch once during that shoot and she delivered take after take.

When it came time for yours truly to get the ax … I warned everyone that I scream really loud. No one ever believes me. But sure enough first take I spike the audio. Sound moves a step back for second take, still in the red. By the end of it I don’t think anyone who was next to me could hear very well.

Kristoff booked a hotel room for me and when he checked me into the place we were both stiff covered in fake blood. I tried to hide it by putting my hoodie up but it was still splattered all over my face! I don’t think the night crew was amused. after trying to watch a little T.V., I passed out around 4 in the morning. Woke up to a brand new day and made my way back to St.Louis with the help of some David Bowie.

Life fucking rules.

(But only if you let it.)

XoXo

Nos

Chad: When I was a child ( I had a fever… My hands felt just like two balloons …. Sorry) I remember the kids in my neck of the woods looking up to great sports figures. Basketball, baseball, football stars and maybe firemen. Then, there was me. On the other hand, I looked up to Dracula, Bruce Lee, Alice Cooper, and the actors that played psychopathic killers in twisted films. So for me to get the opportunity to interview one of my favorite movie stars… Well let’s just say it was almost enough to warm my cold blood.

The first time I saw him in a movie he was playing the role as a member of the deranged freaky cannibalistic Sawyer family in Tobe Hooper’s immortal classic ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Pt.2′. His character ‘Chop Top’ was the most intense creeps I had seen since Edwin Neal’s role as the hitchhiker in the first ‘Chainsaw’ flick.

This actors name is BILL MOSELEY

Bill Moseley is a horror movie master! If you don’t know this, then look at his cred.

Endangered Species, OSA, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Mamba, The Blob, Pink Cadillac, Silent Night, Deadly Night 3: Better Watch Out!, The End Of Innocence, Night Of The Living Dead (re-make), Honey, I Blew Up The Kids, Army Of Darkness, Mr. Jones, The Getaway, Blood Run, Prehysteria 3!, Evil Ed, The Convent, Essence Of Echoes, Live From Bagdad, House Of A 1000 Corpses, Vicious, Home Sick, Anderson’s Cross, The Devils Rejects, Evil Bong, Fallen Angels, Thr3e, A Dead Calling, Grindhouse, Halloween, House, A Perfect Place, Babysitter Wanted, Repo! The Genetic Opera, The Alphabet Killer, Alone In The Dark II, The Devils Tomb, The Haunted World Of El SuperBeasto, Dead Air, Blood Night: The Legend Of Mary Hatchet, 2001 Maniacs: Feild Of Screams, The Graves, Godkiller: Walk Among Us, the Tortured, Eldorado, Night Of The Living Dead: Origins 3-D… And soon to be out Rogue River.

Damn!!!

Nos: Simply put, Bill Moseley is one of the greatest cult actors of our time. His second film (per the Bill Moseley imdb page) was TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, playing the role Chop Top. If you’ve seen the film you know just how memorable the character truly is. While CHAINSAW 2 achieved a following right of the bat, Moseley did not. Even with the popularity of Chop Top his career in the 1990’s is largely made up of smaller films/ roles and guest spots on T.V. shows. He did play the character of Johnnie in Tom Savini’s remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. However, Moseley’s performance as Johnnie was so drastically different than Chop Top; some fans had trouble making the connection that was the same actor. So it seems it was both a blessing and a curse that Bill Moseley didn’t get himself type casted in the early days. If you’ll pardon the obvious analogy … Moseley’s success as an actor has been like a chainsaw that’s hard to start.

But in 2003 a little film called HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES hit theaters and Moseley once again acted an extremely memorable part … this time the character’s name was Otis. Something about this Otis part really struck a chord with the horror crowd. Older horror fans remembered Chop Top and fell in love all over again, while the younger horror crowd became engrossed with Moseley and the strange set of Rob Zombie films that followed.

Moseley has worked very hard to get to where he is now and his fans know and appreciate this. His work never ceases to amaze me … even when I go back and watch the pre-Rob Zombie movies and T.V. guest spots. I’ve always enjoyed just how diverse he can be and how much effort he seems to put into his work.

Chad: Bill is one of the busiest actors in the horror genre. And in real life (when not made up like a maniac) he’s a handsome devil and a really down to earth guy. Now I’m gonna talk a lil’ bit about his movies but, I thought it would be appropriate for me (doing what I do) to talk about one of Bill’s other passions….. His music!

I recently talked to him about some of the bad ass goods that he’s delivering. Check it.

Chad Cherry – Alright Bill, not only are you a cult horror icon but I think a lot of your fans need to know that you are a bit of a music man as well. So let’s talk about your 13 track debut album “SPIDER MOUNTAIN : No way out”.

Bill Moseley – Right on!

C.C.- How long did this record take to make?

B.M.- Well my music partner Rani Sharone and I recorded it over about 9 or 10 months. We started working on the first song ‘ Stupid life of a mom eater ‘ and from there until we actually got the CD’s by UPS a couple of weeks ago, probably 10 months.

C.C.- And Rani has done work with Maynard James Keenan from Tool on a Pusifer record.

B.M.- Ya, he also has a band with his brother called Stolen Babies. Rani’s a great guy, he was really the music brains behind Spider Mountain and he was a lot of fun to work with. It was ultimately just the two of us. We recorded it up at my buddy Travis Dickerson’s studio in Chattsworth, Ca. He threw in his two cents and did a great job recording it.

C.C.- It does sound great. The first single is ‘Rolling Hills’. It’s a catchy song and the video is fantastic. I’m not sure if any of the fans have seen it yet but it’s a claymation video that rocks! Was that your doing?

B.M.- Well I’ll tell what happened. I used to have a band called the Cornbugs with Buckethead, and during the Cornbug years I met Jim Lombardo at a horror convention in Cleveland who gave me a DVD with his claymation work on it. I got him to do 3 different animations for the Cornbugs, which are all on youtube. And when we where ready for Spider Mountain I immediately gave him a call, sent him a copy of ‘Rolling Hills’ and he came up with that on his own.

C.C.- It’s a real fun video.

B.M.- The only thing I asked Jim to put in more of when I got the first copy was, I said we just need a lil’ more of SPYMO. SPYMO is our blatant Spider mascot.

C.C.- I think he’s creepy Bill.

B.M.- Creepy? He’s cool!

C.C.- You also have the track ‘Lord let me help you decide’ which will soon be heard on the soundtrack to Tim Sullivan’s splatter sequel “2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams” . You’re gonna be in this movie too?

B.M.- Yes, I’m actually going to be one of the stars in this. I take over for Robert Englund who played the mayor of a town of southern souls who where whipped out in the Civil War and now every year seek revenge against the Yankees.

C.C.- Perfect.

B.M.-Tim Sullivan was looking for different songs to put on the soundtrack and I had some old lyrics from the Cornbug days… “Lord let me help you decide, who on earth should live and who should die”. I ran it by Rani, and he pulled out the banjo man and started plucking, and boy, that song came together in a hurry! We sent it over to Tim and he absolutely loved it. And now it’s one of the songs that plays when the end credits roll, so I’m very excited about that. I actually just saw a screening of the movie last night and was very happy to see Spider Mountain represented at the end of the credit crawl.

C.C.- And Ogre from Skinny Puppy fame, who you’ve work with on both film and music will be in this flick with you as well?

B.M- Oh yeah. Ogre does a great job! And it was a lot of fun. You know we almost got Ogre on the Spider Mountain CD. We’ll probably get him on the next one.

C.C.- You’ve worked with him on his latest album ‘Devils in my Details’. A great record that I wasn’t expecting to hear your voice on, so it was a real treat.

B.M.- It was amazing! Ogre and his main music guy have this great studio. You can really create orchestras. You go in, sit down with some lyrics.. I remember working with Ogre and I literally came in with some lyrics and poem fragments in a notebook. We sat down and I just spoke them into the microphone and a month later I get a copy of the ‘Devils in my Details’ CD and I’m just blown away!

C.C.- ROCK!!!

I wanted to keep this more on the musical side but I’m gonna get off the subject, just for a bit. Bill, ya gotta tell us about the new movie you got coming out soon called ‘Rogue River’.

B.M- Rogue River is something that I’m really looking forward to! We shot that in December up in Oregon on the banks of the real Rogue River. It was directed by Jourdan McClure. ‘Rogue River’ is a creepy movie…. And it’s not supernatural. Basically this young girl meets a creepy couple….. And creepy things happen……

(At this point Bill and I start laughing our asses off like the angels we are.)

B.M.- The couple is actually me and my real life girlfriend Lucinda Jenney. Lucinda has done a lot of great work. She was in Rain man, Thelma and Louise, The Shield, lots and lots of great stuff. But she’s never done a lot of horror. She was the wife in ‘Thinner”, so she’s done a lil’ bit. She’s more of a quote “legitimate” actor haha, and we have never worked with each other for all of our time together. We’ve been together for about 16 years.

So the opportunity came up for her to play the women of the creepy couple. At first she was reluctant. She said “No, no, thats your world Bill”. But then she thought about it, it is a lead in a movie and it’s not small potatoes and I think she took her psychological walk and then by the end of the day she said “I’ll do it” and I was happy. I wasn’t trying to encourage her or discourage her knowing her psychology. She came to it, and she was great!

It was nice to let the public see what an evil person see can be hahaha! She did great! Wow! It was a lot of fun to work on. It was great working with Jourdan, the script was very cool cuz the story is really, really twisted. We all went up there and really busted our humps. I’m not sure when the movie is coming out. Maybe sometime at the end of summer. But if you get a chance to see ‘Rogue River’, CHECK IT OUT!!!

I worked my butt off on it and so did the rest of the cast. There is a lot of great acting in this. Low key special f/x. It’s pretty much what you see is what you get. And it’s a wild story!

C.C.- Got that kiddies!!! ROGUE RIVER!!!!!!! Can’t wait!

Bill I got to ask you one more question. The real one that I wanna get out of you… For the sake of the rockers…. You got to tell me your top 5 favorite rock bands.

B.M.- Jimmy Hendrix, Love, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and Captain Beefheart.

(From here we went off for quite some time on a musical tangent about 70’s rock, Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Hot Rats, Willy the Pimp and all sorts of stuff that reeks of cool… Way to much to write down ya creeps. We talked about how the game has changed a lil bit, but how it still didn’t matter.)

B.M.- If you have a good story, for movies a least, you know you are gonna sell tickets. That’s why I think ‘Rogue River’ is gonna be so cool cuz it’s twisted and it’s got a good story to it. That’s really what attracted me to it. And of course the opportunity to work with the beautiful Lucinda Jenney haha!

C.C.- It’s always great to work with the ones you love.

B.M.- It’s nice. I like to work with actors that “go for it”. I like to work with people that “go for it”. Rob Zombie goes for it. Tobe Hopper goes for it. Jourdan Mclure by golly went for it. It’s great to work with Sid Haig! Guys that aren’t about “Is my left side on camera”… Who cares. You really just have to jump into it, cuz that really is the fun and the art of acting and singing or whatever else you’re doing. Eric Bousman is great! Go for it!

C.C.- Oh yeah. Eric Bousman of ‘Repo! The Genetic Opera’. It’s wicked! That’s some of my favorite people in cinema right there Bill. I think ultimately you all know how to make the movies great and have a good time doing it.

B.M.- That’s the fun about it. Contrary to popular belief there’s not always a bunch of money in this. So you really better be having a good time or you better be experiencing something you’ve never experienced before, really push the envelope, whatever the phrase is. Cuz that’s your legacy man. And I don’t want to leave any safe, crappy performances that you know is just for the money. I’m sure I’ve met a few in my life haha. You know, I think the people will remember movies like ‘The Devils Rejects’, ‘Repo’! and Texas Chain Saw Massacre pt.2… I hope they will remember a little bit about The Cornbugs and a lot of Spider Mountain.

C.C.- I feel if you are having a great time infecting peoples minds with the things they love. Then so be it.

B.M.- Also there is an obligation too that comes with it. Once you get peoples attention, let’s say you do some kinda performance, a musical, a movie, whatever, you get peoples attention. Then what’s really fun is to just keep going with it. Use that as a confidence builder, to just keep trying new stuff. And you know some people like it, some won’t. Just keep going. That’s how art works. Ya know you lose a lot but you win sometimes… But you just keep going. And it all seems to work out pretty good.

C.C.- Wise words Mr. Moseley.

After I concluded this interview Bill and I kept rappin’ about movies, music, records, tape decks, 8-tracks, classic stereos, pioneer amps, tecknic, more art and his home town of Chicago… Who he says hello to.

To let you know just how amazing Bill is, when our conversation was over he stopped me before I hung up the phone and yelled one of my favorite movie quotes of all time……

“LICK MY PLATE YOU DOG DICK”!!!!!

Leaving both of us raging with laughter!

(That’s one of Chop Top’s many quotes from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Pt.2. For those who are morons…. “Dog will hunt” was another one. It’s a dub in the Primus song ‘Jerry was a race car driver’. )

Pick up SPIDER MOUTAIN: No way out. It’s available at choptopsbbq.com. There’s about 500 signed for you if ya hurry yer ass.
And don’t forget to get on the new film ‘Rogue River’ coming soon.

The ChopTopsBBQ website is incredible too! It’s a must see!!! I look forward to Bill doing more of what he does… And that’s kicking ass! Speaking of ass, mine looks good in this new pair of Lip Service jeans I just got! Oh Yeah! I hope you enjoy this, my ass that is, and don’t forget you can download the brand new single by The Last Vegas “Whatever Gets You Off” for free!!! Rock it out at thelastvegas.com. Check out the video too… I dare you. Now don’t say I never did anything for you. Do what I say! And see TLV with AC/DC in April. I love all you freaks and I’ll see ya on the other side.
xxx
Dr. Chad Cherry

Greetings Lippy fans!

Okay I’ve got be honest, I’m gonna cheat a little on this column. Technically my first horror film was about a certain man eating shark that shall go nameless. I was 3 when I saw that and now I have a for real phobia of the stupid creature. To it’s credit, it did it’s job extremely well…it scared the shit out of me.

But today we’re gonna talk about my slightly less traumatizing experience with a little movie called GREMLINS . If you weren’t alive during the 1980’s or have just been really out of loop, let me give a brief synopsis: Dad finds strange creature in an oddities shop in Chinatown. Dad MUST buy creature for his son Billy’s Christmas present. Old Chinese dude won’t sell it. Dad makes a back alley deal with Chinese dude’s grandson. The creature is a Mogwai and it can’t be around bright lights, must never get wet, and never, EVER be fed after midnight. As you can guess the rules get broken, gremlins pop out of the Mogwi’s back and chaos unfolds.  And while this may not be the most horrific thing ever captured on film, it is most certainly a horror movie and it’s what I’m claiming as my first.

Released in 1984, the year of my birth, I didn’t actually see GREMLINS till ye old 1989 when I was 5. My beloved babysitter had me for the evening and the movie was on television to promote the upcoming release of GREMLINS 2.

I’m pretty sure it was around Christmas time.

The movie was fascinating to me and I really took a shining to bad gremlin “Spike”. Naturally I let out freakish out bursts of 5 years old laughter at parts that only made adults chuckle. I started making plans on how I could obtain my own Mogwai.The whole thing was pure magic and the best part was all the bad gremlins went away at the end … or did they? Leave it to that silly Chinese shop owner to ruin the end and inform me that there just might be a damn gremlin under my bed! Really? Just waiting to swipe it’s ugly, claw filled hand at me when I got up to use the bathroom? Fuck that!

Needless to say I took this little warning to heart and when I got home that night I made my mom check under my bed. She gave the all clear and I went to go brush my teeth. My mother never was one to turn down an opportunity to scare the piss out of me. As I stood at the sink, innocently scrubbing my teeth, my mom let out a damn good imitation of a gremlin laugh. I came screeching out of the bathroom and stood in the middle of the living room crying. Mom thought it was funny until she realized I wasn’t calming down. Every time she tried to get me back in my bedroom, to show me there was no gremlin, I started flailing my hands around and screaming. I think I may have slept with her that night.

It’s laughable to think this is what used to scare me. The shelves in my my living are now home to some the most gory, trauma-inducing films ever recorded … and that’s what I watch while I’m eating dinner. But there is a bit of innocence lost  and part of me really misses that little girl who got all worked up over a kids horror film. She grew up to make scary movies and kiss boys (and girls) and traveled across America to follow her dreams.

Say it with me now: AWWWWWWWWW

Anyways… March turned out to be an uber productive month with lots of fun and excitement! I flew out to L.A. for various projects and ended up shooting some rather scandalous photos with model/actress Ruby Violence. Most of what we shot we highly inappropriate for those under 18 but I’ve including a few behind the scenes and PG13 stills below … so you’ll get the idea.  For folks over 18, I’ll be posting our sexy set on my website (goddessofgorenos.com) soon!

Other adventures included looting the Lip Service warehouse for new clothing and catching a performance by Lightnin’ Woodcock – you should really go check out his music the moment you stop reading this column!

Oh and I also got to see PUMPKINHEAD on the big screen and the New Beverly!!!

I was also featured this month in a KICK ASS zine called AX WOUND. It’s really worth getting your mitts on because Eli Roth, Rebekah McKendry, Shannon Lark, and Sarah Jahier (among others) are also interviewed in it!

XoXo

Nos

Greetings Lippy fans!

Last month held a rather sad anniversary for the underground … the one year mark for THE CRAMPS front man Lux Interior’s death. (Oct.21st 1946 – Feb.4th 2009)  To say he was an inspiration is a gross understatement. For many of us he was the father of an incredible subculture.

So today Chad Cherry and I would like to delicate THE DEVIL INSIDE to some of the things that made THE CRAMPS truly great!
“Hey I’m on my way, on a journey outta this world”  -LUX-

CHAD:

“In the spring of 1976, The Cramps began to fester in a NYC apartment. With out fresh air or natural light, the group developed it’s uniquely mutant strain of rock-n-roll aided only by the sickly blue rays of late night t.v. While jackhammer rhythms of punk were proliferating in NYC, The Cramps dove into the deepest recesses of the rock-n-roll psyche for the most primal of all rhythmic impulses -Rockabilly- The sound of southern culture falling apart in a blaze of shudders and hiccups. As late night sci-fi reruns colored the room, The Cramps also picked and chose amongst eras – surf, instrumental rock, psychedelia, and 60’s punk.

And then they added the junkiest element of all…. Themselves”.

It would be almost impossible to have not heard of The Cramps. But there are those who live under candy coated rubble that love to get force fed whatever media says is cool at the watered down moment…. Which is mostly shit… This article is for you.. So you can learn.

Their career has been the stuff of legend. Dangerously bizarre but most of all cool, The Cramps represent everything that is truly reprehensible about rock-n-roll. Founding members Lux Interior ( The psycho-sexual Elvis/Werewolf hybrid from hellfire) and the guitar slingin’ soul-mate Poison Ivy ( The ultimate bad girl vixen that I still have a crush on. So sexy evil!) are the architects of a wicked sound that distills a cross of swamp water, moonshine and nitro down to a dangerous and unstable musical substance. (I’ll have a couple shots of that!!!) Their cultural impact has spawned a legion of devil cults and dance floor catfights, and created in it’s wake a cavalcade of cave-stompin’ imitators.

As punk rock pioneers in the late 70’s they cut their teeth on the stages of CBGB and Max’s kansas City and recorded their first record at Sam Phillip’s legendary Sun Studios, funded mainly by Ivy’s income as a dominatrix  in NYC. They coined the now ever so popular term “psychobilly” on gig their posters. Their hair raising live performances where a total, no-holds-barred rock-n-roll assault. After a quarter centry of mayhem, they’re too far gone to even consider any other course.

The Cramps were the garage band that fueled everything nasty about the way my mind developed as a kid. I would skateboard for hours listening to my master comp that I put together via 7inch/12inch vinyl record to cassette. (old skool muthaf#@kas) I still have that tape… Somewhere…. I would destroy my body with my terrible skateboard tricks and The Cramps would be right there in my ears telling me that I’m suppose to be in pain and bleeding like a stuck pig . Now enjoy it punk………….. And i did.

Nos:

I was first exposed to THE CRAMPS somewhere around 15 years old at a Christian school. I had long since been obsessed with music of the late 50’s/early 60’s but hadn’t been properly introduced to the modern take on it. Needless to say it was love at first listen… Such rebellion! Such filth! And at the heart of it all was the ultimate rock and roll love story … Lux and Ivy.

There are countless Psychobilly bands in THE CRAMPS’ wake but none have even come close to matching the raw energy that dripped from Lux’s stage. This man was beyond committed to his bit! At 50 he was still touring and STILL cutting himself up in front of the audience. He wasn’t afraid to unleash his demons ….

Chad:

The band has had several line up changes but the whole deal was always Lux and Poison Ivy. The greatest couple to ever come from Hell. That is why I was crushed when I heard the news last year (while I was on tour with the Crue and partying in new Orleans) that Lux had died after suffering an aortic dissection. Out of nowhere.. He was 62. The first thing I thought about was Poison Ivy. He was her Frankenstein. Second thing I did was finish up the bottle of Jack with TLV as a toast to a great rock-n-roll monster who will be undead in my heart until I hit sunlight and as long as I keep blazing The Cramps evil groove to the rhymes of the devils blues.

Nos:

I remember reading an interview with Lux and Ivy just a few years before he passed. They still seemed so in love and still so in tune with each other. – That’s hard for “normal” couple to do after several decades together … let alone rock n roll pairing! Ivy was the first one I thought of too after I heard about his death…

But the legacy will always live on! And so will their passion for things bizarre and horror related.

One of my all time favorite concert videos is THE CRAMPS live at Napa State Mental Hospital. If you haven’t seen this yet you’re SO missing out! During a 1978 tour THE CRAMPS paid a little visit to a metal institute for a concert and someone captured the results on camera. The patients scream, jump around, and even sing along with Lux …. utter madness.

I’m sure you can pick up a copy via Amazon.

The music of THE CRAMPS was also no stranger to horror films (as Chad Cherry will get into in a minute) and they’ve even been known to make an elusive cameo or two in a horror film. FOR EXAMPLE: Did you know they dressed like zombies and ran around in tunnels for Romero’s DAY OF THE DEAD? It ’s true … watch the behind the scenes on the DVD!

Chad:

Their music is in some of my favorite movies (Return of the Living Dead -”Surfin’ Dead” and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 – “Goo Goo Muck”) and they were in the greatest Halloween episode of Beverly Hills 90210. Look out Dillon! Lux comes out and say’s “Hey boys and ghouls, are you ready to raise the dead?” then they played “Mean Machine” and Strange Love.” Yeah! I’ll never forget that. I always wondered how the vibe was on the 90210 set having real Vampires around Kelly and Brandon……

Anyway…….. If you don’t have any of The Cramps music (your excused if you were born yesterday) and you love the creepy, then buy these record right now.

• Songs the Lord taught us-  80
• Psychedelic Jungle-           81
• Smell of Female-     -live-    83
• A date with Elvis-                 86
• Stay Sick-                              90
• Look Mom, No Head-           91
• Flame Job-                             94
• Big beat from Badsville-       97
• Fiends of Dope Island-         02

If you are looking for “best of”s and compilations… Here ya go.

• Off the Bone –  83
• Bad Music for Bad people- 84 (Still have my t-shirt from this record………….Smells awesome)
• How to make a Monster- 04
• The Secret of The Cramps- 06

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If you’re into high production and glossy fluff (who isn’t) then stick with American Idol stuff.
Enter at your own risk lovelies.

Another thing that is undeniable about THE CRAMPS is their impeccable fashion sense! Lux could make tights look hot on a man and he wasn’t afraid to wear lipstick with large sunglasses either. Ivy was the queen of animal print and reconstructed vintage … with a touch a dungeon gear added in for good measure. Even in their later years they looked fucking amazing and fashionable.

Lip Service has some very CRAMPS esc items and I’ve put together a list of my personal favorites …

[Ghost town cigarette fit jean] Time to channel your inner Lux with this fabulous jeans from the Ghost Town collection.

[Branch foil print leggings] It takes a bad rocker girl to pull these bitches off!

[Patent Vinyl bra w/o-ring details] ‘Cause who really wants to wear clothes on stage?

[Gangsta Pranksta Knee length dress] This little number has a real vintage appeal with an updated rock n roll edge!

[pocket hipster straight leg] Great for sweating yer balls off!

[Caged skirt] This Caged skirt is fucking crazy and would look wicked hot on both girls and boys.

Chad:

LONG LIVE ROCK-N-ROLL HORROR! The mold was broke when the B-movie sci-fi outer space neanderthal sex vamps called The Cramps landed back in the late 70’s. This is a one of kind rare band that you will never see the likes of again. You can still hear their music coming from graveyards in the evening, and I guarantee that they will keep you  rockin’ with the un-dead all night long……….

So I just got back from the middle of nowhere Michigan, a.k.a – no-mans land -………. The Last Vegas set up a recording studio in a lake house with our engineer and started flushing out song ideas that we’ve had floating around inside our wicked little minds from the last couple of tours (and some from a lot earlier as well). The location was so isolated that phone reception was non exsistant and there was zero internet the whole week we were up there. Creepy and beautiful, cold and very snowy. Picture the movie ‘The Shining’…. But replace the sweet shrubbery maze with a frozen lake. Very scary at night. It was so quite and peaceful too… Until we got there that is. “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY, MAKES CHERRY A DULL BOY”!!!!! Check out The Last Vegas on tour this March. THE TEXAS C.C MASSACRE is coming!!!!! Cheers from your favorite Vampire creep…. -Chad Cherry- xxx

Nos:

No doubt THE CRAMPS will continue to inspire generations … both musically and with their legendary style.

In the Nos world I’ve been busy shooting new content for my website: goddessofgorenos.com and posing for magazines! I’m gracing the cover this month of ST.LOUIS SINNER and two of my photos made it into issue 31 of GOTHIC BEAUTY … which will be on newsstands March 12th! I’ve also been cast in a new horror film called AFTER PARTY MASSACRE and I’ll be shooting in glamorous Ohio next month.

Here’s some more great Cramps eye candy:

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Hello and welcome to the first ever Valentine’s edition of THE DEVIL INSIDE.

I know some people get all fussy about V.D. (Ha!) so Chad Cherry and I put together our top picks for the holiday. So whether you’re snuggling up to that “someone special” or just flying solo, these movies should put you in the mood for love!
** psst … And, don’t forget, my sexy, new site, Goddess of Gore: Nos, is officially launching on Valentine’s Day!**

Nos’ Picks

Nekromantik 2

So last year on my SCARS blog I mentioned NEKROMANTIK as one of my favorite Valentine’s Day films. I’m still holding  to my tradition of watching it this Sunday – however it’s sequel is pretty damn amazing too! After Rob’s tragic end in the first film, a young nurse digs up his corpse  and has her way with him. Her boyfriend is a little (understandably) freaked out by this and the couple must learn to compromise….

The end is utterly gut wrenching and wicked hot.

May

Poor little has been an outcast since childhood… her only friend being a doll named Suzy. Just when things start looking up in her adult life, she fears her doll Suzy has become jealous.  May’s world starts to unravel as she desperately searches  for a true friend and ultimately decides to make one of her own! It’s a pretty fucked up little story about self love … which is the type of love you should really be focused on this V.Day.

Metropolis

There’s nothing I could really say that would do this movie justice. It’s simply one of the most beautiful things ever captured on film. True it’s a little more SiFi than horror but I think horror fans can appreciate it just the same! For those who haven’t had the pleasure of watching; Metropolis was made in 1927 and depicts the year 2026 in a breath taking neo Gothic landscape …made ENTIRELY from real miniatures. (No gross C.G.I. here!) It’s a classic tale of the “haves” and the “have nots” with a beautiful love story woven in.

Dracula

There are many fine editions of the Dracula tale… but in honor of love day I’m gonna have to go with 1992 Coppola version! True Keanu Reeves kinda stinks it up a bit but the presence of Tom Waits more than makes up for it! And then you have Gary Oldman in one of his finest performances … he truly makes a gorgeous Count. This version also has some excellent gore, something I feel the other Dracula films tend to lack.

Chad’s Picks
HELLO HELLO LOVERS!!!!
What better way to say “BE MINE” on St. Valentines Day then with Chad Cherry’s take on this fantastic day specifically made for lovers. And for this hallmark holiday filled with hugs and kisses, chocolates, candy hearts, shiny gifts, cute shaped cards and the whispers of sweet nothings in to your main squeezes ear, I bring you some of the most romantic couples in the history of love.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

First off we have the ever so handsome Leatherface and his one and only. I could’ve never imagined how long this relationship has lasted. To me it’s beyond love. They have something that most couples only wish they could have.

Friday the 13th

This stunning couple has had there ups and downs, but all in all they will always come back to each other no matter how many other sharp jagged objects of temptation get in his way. They will always know that they are made for each other.

Halloween

This is a true blue romance that just keeps blossoming as the years roll on. You hardly ever see them apart…. They are so good for each other.

House of 1000 Corpses

Otis and 45.magnums sittin’ in a tree……. Fuck it, you know the rest. “SHUT YER FUCKIN’ MOUTH”!!!!

Reanimator

A match we all know that was made in heaven. A man and his green shit that brings dead things back to life.

Sleepwalkers

A boy and his mother. She might be lil’ stern at times but it just enhances the passion in the bedroom. Keep it in the family, incest is best. That’s just sexy……… Right?……

Otis

To truly show you love somebody……. Keep them locked up in the basement.

Maniac

I always thought Frank could do better, but he finds something in her that completes him. Anyway who am I to judge his commitment.

Nosferatu

Nosferatu + Type 0 negative

Frankenstein / Bride of Frankenstein

It still surprises me that they can somehow stay out of the tabloids.

What better way to say “I love you” then though cinematic blood shed. Enjoy the inspiration of these couples that really know the meaning of love. And hopefully on V-day you can get a chance to have sex with somebody besides yourself…. Cuz that’s what its really all about.
XO
“I’M YOURS”,
Chad Cherry…. Expert on love.

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Greetings Lippy fans! Welcome to the first annual DEVIL INSIDE horror movie wrap up. Chad Cherry and I will be breaking down 2009’s gruesome offerings.  Unfortunately many of the horror movies made in 2009 where not gruesome in good way… I really hope that every director’s New Year’s resolution is to “grow a pair” because I am sick of watered down junk.  This year we got stuck with a TONE of sequels and remakes.  However there were a few surprises and some unsung heroes.  I just don’t understand why making intelligent horror has become like pulling teeth! Nor do I understand “horror” movies that suffer from total lack of gore, violence, and traumatizing scenes. It’s total bullshit.  But I’m going off on a rant now … I’ll let Mr.Cherry spill a few words then we’ll get down to the nitty gritty!

Chad: Unfortunately most of the horror movies from 2009 were re-makes gone a muck from the classics we ( the freaks haha) still adore. For the sole reason that Hollyweird must have lost some of it’s imagination. I’m sorry to have to let you in on this folks. It’s all about quick coin and fuck all to art. Taking a risk might not pay the bills ya know.  Nothing new or out of the norm with that though I guess.

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So this month I’m going to write about some of the bastard film makers of 2009 that have stuck to their guns and have fired off some doozys.

Alright first off a couple of these I’m sure you all have heard of but there might be a few in the mix that haven’t hit your radar yet. Here is my version of the blood goodies for the warped and macabre ( I’m talkin’ about Jessie) 2009 round up of what I got a chance to get into while still ROCKIN’ the foundation of this planet you all call earth!

FRIDAY THE 13th. (re-make)

I’m not gonna get into details about this re-make. Just look out for Derek Mears! He is the cat’s pajamas.

Nos: I enjoyed going to theater and seeing it but I think that had more to do with the group I went with. Considering all the things that could have gone wrong with this remake, I think it turned out better than expected. Derek Mears did a damn fine job as Jason.

DRAG ME TO HELL

Chad: This is Sam Raimi getting back to his old crazy ways of film making. Ala Evil Dead I and II and Army of Darkness! Excited? You should be.If you haven’t seen any of these movie get out from rock you have been livin’ under punk! This one focuses on a supernatural curse that gets placed on young lady by a Gypsy witch bitch. Now hexed, her world turns into a gnarly and very terrible acid trip of evil! The old lady in this movie is H.O. double T- HOTT! Check out the pics!!! OOOOH BABY! Don’t mess with eastern European hags man.

Nos: A lot of people hated this movie, I was not one of them. DRAG ME TO HELL was a fun summer flick that had a couple of good scares in it. Was it the second coming of Alfred Hitchcock? No and that’s not what you should’ve been expecting. This is Raimi folks. His movies, though charming, are not rocket science. –And that’s okay! I was just happy to see something that wasn’t  a damn remake!

MY BLOODY VALENTINE 3D

Chad: O.k…So I’ll admit it. Even though the 1981 original George Mihalka directed version is ‘King’…’King’ I say! I did like this re-make. Come on, it was in 3D. It has some good nudity and some great blood splatter everything. Also my bro Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps, The Fog, Halloween III etc.) kicks ass till he gets his jaw and face removed. The orig is my fav but Patrick Lussier did a stand up job for this classic re-make about a miner that kills his co-workers, survives a cave-in, wakes up from a coma, slaughters every one in site, retreats back to the cave, gets shot by the cops, comes back 10 years later….(Hold on let me catch my breath-…Alright where was I…Oh ya.) Starts up the most wicked massacre the lil’ mining town has ever seen and stuffs ripped out hearts in candy boxes…Romantic. -Three words- PICK AXE STYLE!!! Watch the O.G. first.

Nos: This is one of two cases where the remake actually “wowed” me! (The first was THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake.) The original MY BLOODY VALENTINE is a true slasher classic.  This remake had a lot to live up to and it started things off right with the 3D. The acting was really well done and I enjoyed the new little twists they put on the story! The gore made me laugh out loud in the theater. – Naturally disturbing all those around me. I feel these late 70’s, early 80’s slasher films translate into better remakes … mostly because the originals aren’t that well known and had budget limitations.  It’s still not an excuse to redo someone else’s work or be lazy. But if you’re gonna do it, do it right.

I wish someone would send ME a bloody heart in a candy box!

DEAD SNOW

Chad: Guess what’s not nice?…. Zombies! O.k., now guess what’s even worse? …. Nazis! Put the two together and what do ya have?…. Sour kraut and sausage? No dummy! NAZI ZOMBIES!!!! That’s not designed to make anybody feel good. Norwegian director Tommy Wirkola’s horror comedy Dead Snow is though! In this one a group of med students on an Easter holiday hit up a cabin in the middle of snowy ass Norway to enjoy in some skiing, drinking, sex, unfrozen blood thirsty swastika wearin’ living dead guys, molotov cocktails, chainsaws, machine guns attached to snowmobiles, decapitation and death. Holy Happy Easter fuckers! If you don’t want to watch this after my explanation then get out of my house (just kidding). If you do what to see this then get ready to po-po in yer pants! Hilarious and nasty!

MARTYRS

Nos: This movie fucked me up. It’s seriously hard for me to even write about it because I don’t like reflecting on it. The film is wonderfully made and the acting is indescribable. And that’s what’s wrong with it: It’s too good at what it does. The story is about a childhood abuse survivor seeks revenge … and that’s not doing the plot justice. What unfolds is beyond words. All I can really say is that I watch horror and exploitation on a daily bases and this movie had me in tears by the end.

RUN BITCH RUN!

Chad: Joseph Guzman’s 09 exploitation flick in the vain of ‘LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT’, ‘I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE’, and ‘MS.45.’. A total throw back 70’s style rape turns into revenge, catholic school girls on the wrong side of the tracks dealio. A classic revenge movie scene for scene! Gritty, filthy, gore ridden, rape and sodomy. Why do I watch these kinda movies? Because I am not right….At all. No matter how liberal you think you are, – this movie will offend you -…Big Time! And it’s got Daeg Faerch who played lil’ Micheal Myers in Halloween in it too. Cute. “PAY BACK IS A BITCH”

SAW VI

Nos: It’s hard to keep sequels interesting. On average they to fizzle out around 3 and are beyond stupid by 5. However the SAW franchise has done a damn good job keeping its fans happy. We’re at 6. 6!!! And that silly Jig Saw is still finding clever ways to make people play his game. In this episode we watched SCREAM QUEEN winner Tanedra Howard hack off her own arm, saw what was in “the box”, and learned that yes indeed they could stretch this out to part VII.  I know the spell will be broken someday but I’m happy to report it wasn’t with VI!

HALLOWEEN 2

Chad: Written and directed by a creep named Rob Zombie. I’ve been in love with these movies since I heard the name John Carpenter, and I don’t give a good goddamn what trash talkin’ Micheal Myers super fans say about this re-make. Rob knows his shit. Period. Zombie puts another shade of darkness on “The Shape” and opens the door of brutality on this puppy, showing us what lies behind the mask and how tormented the lives of the surviving victims have become. Not pretty… Not pretty all. I went to the theater 3 times to see this bitch. One of my 09 favs.

THE ROAD

Nos: So this movie doesn’t fit neatly into the package of horror film but I’m going to include it in my list. (Hey I could be writing about THE UNBORN but I’d rather not go there.) THE ROAD is a post apocalyptic film that focuses on a father and son’s survival. In a world where most movies are a nauseous blur of shallow predictability, THE ROAD stands out with its depth and soul. This film is scary. The world is dying and growing cold, birds and other small creatures only exist in books, most of the human race has resorted to cannibalism. In all this hopelessness the father and son keep each other going. It’s a really remarkable film that I think horror fans would really appreciate.

TRICK R TREAT

Nos: This movie is really special. I remember catching little glimpses of the preview trailer and getting SO excited about it! I adore anthology horror and I thought it was greatest thing that it was coming back to the big screen. But alas … Hollywood can be really stupid. This gem didn’t make it to the big screen and was instead released right to DVD.  It’s the studio’s loss because this movie is an instant classic. TRICK R TREAT (Not to be confused with TRICK OR TREAT starring Ozzy and Gene Simmons.) brought back all the fuzzy warm feelings of Halloween as a child. It’s the perfect spooky film and has one of the most beautiful sets I’ve ever seen. I simply must applaud production designer Mark Freeborn for his amazing work. (As a side note Freeborn was also the production designer for HARPER’S ISLAND and WILLARD.)

Chad: Writer/director Micheal Dougherty’s anthology of four terrifying Halloween stories put together “Creepshow” style (love that movie) shows you how shit can get nuts if ya break all Hallows eve traditions. And Sam, the lil’ guy (or whatever the hell he is?!?!) wearing a burlap pumpkin mask and has a cameo in all episodes let’s ya know that creatures, sicko’s, urban legends, jack-o-lanterns and little red riding hood can fuck up the most frightening night of the year…Halloween. Candy apples with razor blades… Tasty.

What’s up with Chad?

Look out for the new single and video by – THE LAST VEGAS – “WHAT EVER GETS YOU OFF” !!!! And thank you to all the TLV warriors who made “I’M BAD” the itunes single of the year!!! My finale note to all is……. WEAR LIPS SERVICE CLOTHING AND YOU WILL BE A SEXUAL TYRANOSAURAUS!!!! Trust me.

What’s up with Nos?

I’ve been hard at work on my new website! So many new photos and never before seen video going into this … I can’t wait to show everyone! If you want up to the minute details check out my FACEBOOK page and my TWITTER.

And if you’re looking for that last minute holiday gift to yourself stop by: myblackumbrella.com!

I really can’t stop looking at this hot little number (the Dust Storm Moto Jacket) from the Ghost Town collection! **note from the Webmistress: I have mine and it’s fucking delicious … like denim and brushed velvet had a love child! That is all.**

Bad Lieutenant Nos by Chad Michael Ward - see full size in gallery below

Chad Cherry and I share the same exuberant passion for horror and exploitation movies. In fact, when we start talking about what we’re gonna cover next it’s hard to narrow it down to one idea! But this month we wanted to do something extra special so we decided to cover one of our favorite directors: Abel Ferrara.

Chad Cherry - see full size original in the gallery below

Much has been said on Mr. Ferrara so rather than drag over the same boring facts you’ve heard a thousand times, We’d rather touch on his brilliant films and what they mean to us. Evil Sex rocker Chad Cherry does offer this little bit of insight into Ferrara’s early days: He directed a very awkward and confusing porno movies under his alias, Jimmy Laine, with the quaint title “THE NINE LIVES OF A WET PUSSY”. He stars in it but he doesn’t do any of the olr’ in and out, if ya catch my drift. That’s right! Ferrara knows how to get this party started with a skin flick. Well done Mr. Laine. He also went by Jimmy Laine when acting in THE DRILLER KILLER (which he played the lead in) and Ms.45. (He plays the first rapist.)

Ahh yes, Abel Ferrara you had me at-

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BAD LIEUTENANT: Originally one of the first movies rated NC-17 for sexual violence, strong humping situations, naughty language, and hardcore drug use … and it’s a police lieutenant that does all this! A corrupt, smacked out, cocaine sniffin’, angry sex addicted, badge wearin’ po-po. To serve and inject! Bitchin’ dooods.

Harvey fucking Keitel. I really can’t say enough about this incredible actor. BAD LIEUTENANT is my favorite movie that Keitel has ever starred in. What Ferrara was able to pull out of Harvey was truly Oscar worthy. I still cry during the church scene. This movie is so raw and honest, one of Ferrara’s more poetic films. It’s really sad that the “remake” looks like such crap. Then again I’ve been assured that it’s not really a remake. They just took the name. – And that my friends is what we call “saving face”.

THE BODYSNATCHERS: Okay this movie has been done SEVERAL times. Seriously there’s a version of it to fit your every mood. You have the 1950’s Don Siegel b-movie classic, that creepy 70’s version with Leonard Nimoy and the fucking human head dog (that STILL gives me nightmares), the shitty Nicole Kidman thing, and right in the middle is Ferrara’s early 90’s version with the sexy Gabrielle Anwar. I can never really decide if I like this movie or not. The higher budget feels a little weird for one of his films. There is this overwhelming sense of dread throughout the whole movie that’s very intriguing. I still watch it about once a year.

Plant like pods that take over earth by killing off humans while they sleep and replace their bodies with emotionless carbon copies that work together to take over the human race!!! This must be based on a true story because … well holy shit!! I think it’s happening right now!!! I’m outta here!!!!

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THE ADDICTION: A black-n-white gem of a flick. Out main girl Kathleen who is a philosophy student, gets attacked by a woman that bites the hell out of her neck and drinks her blood!!! And you know what’s next right? You guessed it punks. “SYMPTOMS OF VAMPIRISM”. Say bye, bye to sunlight Kathleen. My favorite scene (and you will understand why) is when out lil’ blood sucker savages some poor shmo’s jugular at her graduation party. And then takes it up a notch by participating in a chaotic blood soaked, killer vampire orgy!!! Hello sexy town!!! If you really pay attention to this movie it’s an allegory about drug addiction. Oh yeah, and one more thing … Christopher Walken.

But this is the best (my opinion rules) …

DRILLER KILLER: Oh yes … truly one of the greats in exploitation cinema. I think it was this movie that made me develop a lifelong crush on Ferrara. Maybe it’s because he plays that starving artist thing so well! It’s the perfect film for when you’re having one of those days. You know the kind where you want your roommates, lovers and family members to drop off the face of the planet? Just put this flick in and you’ll feel better. Promise. I love that after 30 years the gore still holds up in this film! Powerful, scary, and sexy, this movie has made a lasting impression on me.

The 1979 grindhouse slasher cult classic that was banned in the U.K. and in Germany. It’s one of the “first video nasties” in the United Kingdom, and has that great sleazy grainy film quality to it. Our boy Abel Ferrara not only directs this bastard of a movies but also stars as Reno Miller, a struggling artist and bum hater. A.K.A. “Driller Killers”!!!

The British punk band THE DAMNED (Hell Yayeah!) refer to this baby in their song “Nasty”, a Swedish crust punk band dawns their name from the title, the Danish psycho-billy band THE NEKROMANTIX (Currently on tour with ROB ZOMBIE), U.K. punk rockers DISORDER, and the U.S. death metal band MORTICIAN (who use wicked samples from this puppy) all have songs inspired by DRILLER KILLER. Alright now, that shit ROCKS!!! Hey Reno, are you wearing lipstick and drilling people to death? Oh, I guess you are. Artists. So creative.

And we can’t forget …

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MS.45: Not gonna lie … this movie is the reason I wanted to be a model/actress. A very dear friend of mine loaned me an un-abridged copy of this when I was 17. I was completely blown away by it. Zoe Lund plays the character of Thana, a mute seamstress working in New York. After being attacked twice in the same day she takes revenge on all men. Lund portrays a great deal of strength while still maintaining her feminine side… with a performance that is truly something to marvel at. Ferrara has an understanding of the female that surpasses most men. Pretty safe to say that I’m in love with him.

So that wraps up our little tribute to Able Ferrara. These films are just the tip of the ice! He continues to out stupid good movies on the regular. If you’ve never seen anything by him, I hope this column has persuaded you to seek out his work!

Here is a small sampling of posters and images of Abel Ferrara’s work:

Now what have Chad Cherry and I been up to ?

I rarely have time off from THE LAST VEGAS with all the touring, filming, grave diggin’, TLV astro physic teachings, ect … or from writing the sound tracks to the mayhem all you humans create, but when I do, I like to get dressed up in all my bad ass LIP SERVICE stage clothes, put on some blood red lip stick and hit a night on the town Driller Killer style. (Did I just write that? Yes I did.) ROCK ON ABEL for making kick ass flicks, AND ROCK ON LIP SERVICE for making every one so goddamn hot! See you all next time, and I’ll see you all on the wild side. – CHAD CHERRY.

These last few months of 2009 have been wicked productive for me! Not only have I been keeping up with my SCARS BLOG (scarsmagazine.com/blog/nos-blog/) and writing for LIP SERVICE but I’ve also taken on a new project. I’ve joined forces with the amazing folks of CIRCUS HOOKER (chsregime.com/) and am now in development of my own site! Soon you will be able to see hundreds of my photos and videos in one handy dandy place! How cool is that? Rest assured I will be wearing some sexy Lip Service in the photos …

Here is a tiny sample of photos from the Goddess of Gore site:

Nos photo credits:

photos 1 – 2:

photography by: Wicked Illusions

photos 3 – 5:

photography by: Chad Michael Ward

A launch date hasn’t been set yet but Lippy fans will be the first to know!

Can’t wait that long? Well I also have my own merch site set up! myblackumbrealla.com) Signed Nos prints and DVDs are available for your pleasure! – Nos