Liza Treyger [Interview]

Photo by Mindy Tucker

Holy Shit Folks! We have an absolutely wonderful interview to share with you all today. I know I say this a lot, and I always do mean it. But today is very special! Today we are featuring one of my favorite stand up comedians working today. It’s Liza Treyger Everyone! I have been following Liza’s work for quite a few years now. Well, honestly, I’ve just managed to hear her on probably dozens of podcasts, which may not be truly considered “work” (as Liza will discuss below) but it is undeniable that Liza is downright hilarious, and a rabbit hole of Treyger related YouTube videos is probably one of the most delightful ones you can go down. She is raw, honest, and has brilliantly honest takes on a mirage of different topics. She can make you feel uncomfortable with her honesty and forthrightness, which is truly a sign of a damn great comic.

As previously mentioned, I have been following Liza for years, and have watched her grow as a comic and begin to receive the popularity I felt she deserved so many years ago. Most recently notable, Liza can be found the latest stand up special that Netflix has put out entitled The Degenerates. The special features some other amazing comics, but the stand out of them all was obviously Treyger. I watched them all in one binge, and all biases aside, I found this special to be one of her best sets to date. Go watch this Folks! If you call yourself a fan of comedy, and haven’t delved into the world of Liza Treyger, I truly won’t believe you.

So Folks, please enjoy some words from one of the best in the game, the great Liza Treyger!

When did you first discover that you were a damned funny person, and that comedy was a natural gift that you could use to earn a living?

Being funny might be a natural gift, but doing stand up is a skill that you get better doing with experience and when I decided to do comedy it was never to earn a living. That was a great perk, but I didn’t realize it until years after doing it. But, yeah just being a funny person doesn’t mean you’re going to be good at stand up and some good stand ups are boring people that I want away from me. But, if someone’s goal is just to make money I would suggest not getting into stand up comedy.

Having been in the game for a while, and traveled all over the place doing stand up, I am always curious to find out what are some hidden gems of cities out there in regards to comedy? What are some places that most people wouldn’t think of as great comedy towns?

I love the crowds and shows and comics in DC! Cleveland is a good time! Lots of good local shows at sweet venues with great food and there’s a lot to do there. Cleveland has a great art museum, fun sports, Great Lakes Brewery, and cheap ass drinks.

I loved your appearance on the podcast Stand By Your Band that is hosted by former TWS guest Tom Thakkar and Tommy McNamara, in which you so brilliantly defended the genius of Aqua. I actually happen to catch you on ALOT of podcasts, which is probably how I know of you the most! As a huge podcast fan, I am curious to know how podcasts affect your work as a comedian? Do you get people showing up in random cities saying, “I heard you on Race Wars/SBYB/etc.”? Is there any ultimate payout for doing podcasts? 

I like doing podcasts because I love to talk and chat and hang with friends, so I’ll do almost any podcast but i don’t do anything for payouts. What I get from it I just like to have fun and I find them enjoyable. I do get people at my shows from podcasts more than anythings else. we will see what happens after Netflix but, I get a lot of Crab Feast fans come out to my shows and i almost always at least one day a weekend see someone in a Legion of Skanks t shirt. being able to be on podcasts also gives me something to do in the daytime or I might never leave my house so that’s great too. Oh and this is a radio show but people come out from Bennington!

I really loved your appearances on the brilliant series Horace & Pete. What was it like to work on this truly unique project? And to keep it a secret the whole time? That had to have been tough!

I mean I told my friends, so I didn’t really keep the secret but, I loved not telling people outside my friend group and then it just dropping out of nowhere. Loved that and felt super cool. working on this show was one of the best moments of my life and I’m very grateful and just still can’t believe it. I mean Steve Buscemi, Alan Alda, Edie Falco, Jessica Lange, and then just chilling with Steven Wright, like OMG! it was magic to be around such talented people and watching them work.

Liza Treyger on The Degenerates available on Netflix NOW!

Your Netflix Special that was on Netflix’s The Degenerates was definitely the biggest highlight of that showcase for me. Part of it was that I was a big fan of yours before it came out, but also it was so fucking funny! So, what is life like post-Netflix special? Have you noticed the Netflix-bumped life been going for you? 

it just came out [two weeks ago] so it’s mostly attention on the internet which isn’t real. Oh but people are texting me, so that’s nice but, I hope people come see me live. The biggest thing honestly was the paycheck too, that was great and now I have my own place and bought a bunch of stuff and threw a party. I also got a bunch of leather harnesses, omg and got to see Celine Dion since we taped in Vegas, which was a true gift!

When you look back on your career in the world of comedy in say 50 years or so, what would you like to be able to look back and say to yourself about the legacy you will leave behind?

I just hope to always be working and thinking forward and making cool things that I believe in. I just hope I always stand up for myself and others and stay true to myself and treat people well and always pushing myself creatively. I would love to have some specials and projects that people can watch for years to come.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers? 

I would just love for them to watch my special and follow me on Instagram. I’m working on [some]things but there’s really no guarantee that anything will actually come out but, hopefully there’ll be some fun things in the future.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

OMG, today I got to go to a college sociology classroom to talk and do stand up and answer questions  and I really loved the students and teacher and they made me smile. They were cool ass city kids and chatty and confident and I just had such good feelings and that made me smile! Before that I put a new shelf thing in my living room and decorated it so freaking cute and I keep smiling every time i see it.

Check out Liza’s special featured on The Degenerates available now on Netflix.

Daniel Roebuck [Interview]

Hello Folks! We have an absolutely wonderful interview to share with you fine folks today! And I know we say this a lot, but this man is one of the most versatile and hardworking people in the world of art and entertainment. And when I say that Daniel Roebuck has done just about everything there is to do, I mean that with absolute sincerity. The man grow up as an actual clown in the circus. That’s right, he developed his performance chops in the circus. He has a journey into this world that is so profound and exciting and we are beyond excited that he is here to tell us all about it.

Beyond just being a phenomenal character actor, Daniel is also an acclaimed producer, writer, and filmmaker. One of his latest films, Getting Grace is available now on DVD and VoD, and is an absolute delight that you have to see. From his performance as Jay Leno, to his work on our friend Penelope Spheeris’s cult classic film Dudes alongside the lovely Jon Cryer, to another dig into the world of the television series Becker that we bring up on every occasion possible here at Trainwreck’d Society.

The man is a damned delight. And we are so excited that he was willing to grace our digital pages today. So please enjoy some wonderful words from the brilliant Daniel Roebuck!

When did you first discover your passion for the world of performance? Was it something you had wanted to do from a very young age?

I can pinpoint a moment at about first grade where I tried to write my own script.  The problem was I didn’t know how to write yet because I was only in first grade, so I decided to draw the script instead.  I ended up showing it to Sister Kathleen who insisted we perform my play.  And just about that same time I started talking about “when I’m on TV…”, to the point where my parents got me a cardboard television to pretend I was on TV.  So from the cardboard television, I moved to to actually performing in front of people.  I tried to be a ventriloquist first, then I was an impressionist like Rich Little.  And then at 12, I became a clown in a circus. I swear to god that’s the truth… other kids would run away to the circus but my mom drove me back and forth for every show.

I read in your bio that you were once a full fledged professional clown in the circus! That is beyond intriguing! I don’t believe we have ever had a true clown on the site before. So what was that experience like? And were there any sort of lessons from that experience that you may still incorporate into your work today?

Well, I like to be the first in any instance, so I am glad to be your first clown turned actor.  The greatest thing I remember about that time in my life, was that the adults in the show taught me a valuable lesson because they never treated me like a kid.  As far as they were concerned, if I was hired as a clown, I was a clown.  So the other side of that great lesson is that because they didn’t treat me like a kid, I never acted like a kid.  I went to every rehearsal.  I learned every gag.  They were all much more experienced than I was obviously.  And I learned a lot about physical comedy.  And yes, all those things I still utilize in my work.  An amazing side note, that although many of the clowns have passed on because they were older when I was only 12, the next oldest clown and my first mentor, Neil Fehnel, is actually in the movie I just directed, Getting Grace, as a clown.

Copyright Daniel Robuck.

You have become a sort of staple in one genre of film specifically, which is the one we love and adore the most around here, and that is the world of horror! So, as a professional who has worked in so many different genres of film and television, I am curious to know what it is that you enjoy about working on horror films? What sets them apart from all of the other types of films and shows you have worked on?

So it’s beyond ironic that I am in so many horror films because as you may, or may not know, I was a huge fan of the Gothic Universal Horrors of the 30’s & 40’s.  Such a fan, that I bought a museum to hold artifacts and collectibles of that time frame.  People can still view it, at the original www.DanielRoebuck.com site, if they look under the tab marked “Dr. Shocker’s House of Horror.”

What I love best about being in horror movies is this ridiculous opportunity that people dont generally get in the world of acting in which I have actually entered into the same stories horror wise that I used to watch as a kid.  Like imagine that I said in the Boyd theater in Bethlehem PA in the 1970’s and watched Jamie Lee Curtis running from Michael Myers.  And then 35 years later, in another movie, so was I.  The same goes for being killed by one of the Phantasm Orbs.  If you would of told me when I saw that original movie so many years ago, that I would of been dodging, unsuccessfully dodging, one of those orbs, I would of never believed it.  One of my favorite things about working in the genre is wearing the SPFX makeup.  That is a big deal for me, having grown up on all those great Jack Peirce make ups in the Universal stories.  So I do love that.  Also any time I spend with horror mistro, Rob Zombie, makes me happy.  It’s kind of become a joke, the brevity of my roles in his films, but I definitely enjoy working with him.  He really is a visionary filmmaker.

In 1987 you starred in a film directed by our dear friend Penelope Spheeris called Dudes, that is an absolute cult classic, at least in my mind. I’d love to know what it was like to work on this amazing & a little dark (but not too much) film? Is this one of those films that you get recognized for often?

Let me tell you this about Dudes.  I get recognized from that movie so much more than I ever thought would be possible, considering it only played in three theaters, 31 years ago.  I think what was the thing about it that makes people go back to it is the relationships.  I think Jon and I really appear to be friends in the film, and are actually real friends still 31 years later.  Penelope was great, an innovator by the way, because there weren’t a lot of female directors.  She definitely knew what she wanted and I think we had a good time giving it to her.

By the way, I saw Katherine Mary Stuart a few weeks ago, and she doesn’t look like she aged a day.  And yet Jon and I, look like we could be the fathers of the guys from Dudes.  I have really enjoyed the resurgence of the movie lately (the Shout Factory Bluray) and Penelope is finally getting the credit she deserves for the amazing work she has done.  She is a great lady, and when ever I say nice things about her, she acts like I am insincere, so I hope she reads this and learns once more how grateful I was for the opportunity to be in the movie. I am also a huge fan of J. Randall Gahnson, he’s the greatest guy ever and a very excellent writer.

Jon Cryer & Daniel Robuck on the set of “Dudes”, directed by Penelope Spheeris. Copyright Daniel Roebuck

We also love us some stand up comedy around here, and you happened to have portrayed one of the absolute legends in the comedy world, one Mr. Jay Leno, in the HBO fim The Late Shift. So what was it like to channel in on Mr. Leno to pull off the performance that you did? Did you manage to shadow him at all?

Not only did I not shadow him, I was a nervous wreck about not wanting to annoy the pour guy.  But here is an astounding tale, the very first day I was working on the movie was the first day I went to my fitting for my blue contact lenses.  By the way my eyes are already blue, but his are much bluer.  Anyway, I was driving down Franklin Avenue in Hollywood toward the optometrist and I stopped at the stop sign, and across from me was Jay Leno in a vintage car.  We passed each other in that intersection, and I thought all was right in the world.  After I wrapped filming, I called him at his office and he came to the phone immediately and couldn’t of been move gracious.  He was very curious to know how it went and very congratulatory.  Since then, I have seen him a number of times and even cast him to narrate an animated film I produced (“Christmas is Here Again.”)

And I have always felt grateful, that I got to play the nice guy and poor John Michael Higgins, who is truly a terrific actor, and has proven so for the last three decades, got stuck playing Letterman.  And now that I’m an older guy and older people are aloud to speak what is in their heart, I can say that I was appalled by how Letterman treated Jay as he proved himself to be as neurotic, as despicable as any famous person I have ever heard of.  I know there was camps of people who clearly love Letterman, and to them I say, look at the man’s character.  There is nothing funny about that.

I know this is very specific, but I really have to ask: In 2003 you appeared on episode of one of my personal favorite sitcoms of all time, known as Becker. One of our first interviews was actually with Hattie Winston. So whenever I get someone on here, I have to ask about Becker. How was your experience working on this highly underrated program?

Well lets begin where we have to begin.  Ted Danson is a god.  Like the guy is really the greatest guy.  Ive gotten to work with him a few times and hope to do so many more.  He is gracious and talented and funny.  He always kept his good humor up the entire time I was there on Becker.

Now here is an interesting side note about that episode, it was directed named Randy Carter, making his television directorial debut.  Randy Carter, you may recall, played Randy Carter the first AD on the Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld reunion episode, because he was the actually first AD on “Seinfeld” for many years. You know, as a guest star, which I have been hundreds of times, you never know what you are walking into.  Sometimes you think, “Oh this show is funny, its going to be amazing and we’re going to laugh all week…” and you get there, and everyone is a douche.  Other times, you think, “Oh, this show is serious, we’re going to be serious all week.”  And you get there, and everyone is laughing the entire time.  And it’s like Christmas morning, you don’t know which package you’re going to unwrap, or what is going to be inside.

But I would say Becker, based on Ted Danson’s leadership, was a happy set.  And I’d like to speak to that for a minute if you don’t mind.  I’ve learned from literally the best people that part of your job as the series lead is to keep the set moving forward because its very easy to get bogged down in drama.  Anytime creative forces meet, there is the possibility of any kind of explosion.  And even a minor explosion can throw all the schedule.  With only 8 days to shoot an episode, every moment is precious.  So when I am the lead, or a regular on a TV show, believe me, I keep everybody laughing the entire day even if it means insulting myself or tripping over things.  What ever it takes, I’ll do it to make people’s work day pleasant.

I am very intrigued by the 2017 film that you not only starred in, but also directed and co-wrote as well, entitled Getting Grace. Can you tell us a bit about it? Where did the concept for the film come from?

Getting Grace is the story of a teenage girl who is dying of Cancer.  She goes into a funeral home to find out what is going to happen after she dies and ends up teaching the funeral director how to celebrate life.  Although I’ve had a great interest in the funeral business in my teenage years when I briefly considered it as a career, I was surprised at the simple elegance of a script I read called Bending Spoons.  It was written by a Michigan writer named Jeff Lewis.  I found that script 9 years ago and it took 7 years to get it made.  We rewrote it together and turned it into Getting Grace.  So I am excited to say that our little movie has been making great waves.  We’ve ran in 85 theaters and played for eleven weeks around the United States.  The movie has not started moving into international markets, and became available on November 6, 2018, and Netflix a few months later.  It’s been an extraordinary journey, extremely fulfilling, I would invite your readers to go to gettinggracethemovie.com to see the trailer.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

As usual, I have such a wide swaff of films coming out that are all different.  There’s a crazy horror movie called Wild Boar by Barney Burman, the Academy Award winning make up man. A lovely faith based film called Palau: The movie about the South American Tel-evangelist Louis Palau, and a comedy by Tom Callaway called Give Til It Hurts,” in which I play a despicable preacher.  But first out of the gate, will be a lovely Alzheimer’s drama called A Timeless Love, which I also produced.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

The first answer is this question.  The second, kinda grosser answer is that I got this amazing copy of a Herman Munster head today… but really if you want to know what makes me smile is knowing that God loves me and lets me experience like sitting in the theater in Edmonton Alberta, Canada, and watching 200+ people laugh exactly where I thought they would while they were watching a movie I made two years earlier.

Check out the trailer for Getting Grace right here:

Hallie Shepherd [Interview]

Oh do we have a wonderful interview for you fine folks! Today we  are featuring an person who is not only extremely talented, but is a truly multi-faceted artist. Hallie Shepherd has done some amazing work both behind and in front of the screen. In 2018 alone, she earned credits as editor, producer, writer, and actress in two very incredible films, Last Seen In Idaho and Bayou Caviar. The later was recently released last month and features the brilliant Cuba Gooding Jr. in a role of his lifetime.

We get into these films and so much more with this wonderful interview with such a brilliant artist. So why don’t we just get right into it. So Folks, please enjoy some amazing words from the brilliant Hallie Shepherd!

When did you first decide you wanted to join the world of filmmaking and performance? Was it an early aspiration for you, or did you just find yourself in this world one day?

When I was a little girl, I really wanted to take dance and acting classes and be a gymnast, but I grew up in a small town of one thousand people in western Washington. It didn’t have much by way of activities beyond sports. So sports and academics were pretty much my life growing up. I was always reading novels and writing my own stories. I’d also create little newspapers. I’d interview other kids to be staff writers, and then I’d edit and distribute the papers. And I also loved writing plays and casting other students. I would beg my teachers to let us perform them for the school. In grade school, I really only had one teacher who didn’t support my creative pursuits. That teacher had the mentality that the class needed to do everything together at the same pace. I was spilling out of my skin that year.

When I was in sixth grade, my teacher contacted the county newspaper and told them he had a student who had started a sixth grade newspaper and would they let me write an article? I had no idea he was going to do that, and of course I was thrilled when I found out that they said ‘yes.’ I guess my first article about my class hatching fish eggs must have been a smashing success, because they let me on the staff as a weekly columnist. I did that for three years, stopping when I went into high school and started working on the yearbook.

I’ve always known I wanted to write novels, which only recently I’ve started to work on when I have time. But filmmaking and screenwriting seemed like worlds away. While my young mind could conceptualize the process of writing a book and getting it published, the process of making a movie was so foreign to me. My family had a VHS camcorder, so in grade school and high school, I’d write and direct little movies with my friends. I loved to act, so I was usually the lead role. But it felt to me more like a hobby than a career path.

When I was in high school, Good Will Hunting came out, and I saw it in the theatre with my mom. I just loved that movie – “How do you like them apples?” When Matt Damon and Ben Affleck won the Oscar for that screenplay, I thought to myself, “Hmm… maybe I could write screenplays.” I remember feeling really inspired by that, but I kept that aspiration a secret for several years.

At Western Washington University, I got a B.A. in English, but it wasn’t until my senior year there that I started taking acting classes and performing with the theatre department. That’s the year that I finally just said, “Screw it, I’m really doing this. This is who I am and this is what I want to do!” I haven’t looked back since. Even when things get rough – and trust me, they do – I think to myself, “I didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

You have worked extensively with fellow writer/producer and filmmaker Eric Colley on quite a few projects over the years. I am curious to know what it is that makes you both a solid team of highly creative people? And what is it like to work extensively with your own partner? Are there some sort of professional and personal boundaries that can prove challenging?

Eric is the most amazing teammate. We have a similar work ethic, and we believe in creating a really positive environment on set and working with good, trustworthy people. This is our chosen career path, but it’s also what we’re passionate about, so it’s wonderful to be able to share that with each other. When you work with your partner, there’s also a level of trust and understanding that’s automatic. We challenge each other creatively and when we don’t see eye to eye on something in one of our projects, we debate it passionately. But it always feels productive and supportive. If one of us gets overly busy or stressed out, the other one picks up the slack. We have each other’s back. Making movies is hard, but working with Eric is actually the easy part.

I really loved your film released earlier this year, Last Seen in Idaho. I’m a sucker for a well made, female-driven, thrill ride such as this film. I am curious to know what inspired you to tell this tale? 

Thank you! I miss the classic ‘90s thrillers. I was coming of age when Sandra Bullock starred in The Net and Julia Roberts starred in Conspiracy Theory. Those were exciting thrill rides for me, and I looked up to those women. They were strong and resourceful and relatable. I love a good thriller with twists and turns.

As for the specific story premise of Last Seen in Idaho, I don’t recall the exact moment I came up with it. People often ask me how I come up with story ideas, and the answer is that I rarely actively try to think up ideas. There’s no shortage of plots and characters and scenes floating around in my mind. I’m a daydreamer. The problem is there’s not enough time for me to turn all of my ideas into screenplays or books!

Ten years ago, Last Seen in Idaho was one of the first scripts that I ever wrote, and as first scripts go, it was terrible. Over the years, I’d revisit the concept and I’d write an entirely new script: new plot, new characters, new everything. It went through several incarnations. The script that we finally made into a movie is nothing like the original script I wrote all those years ago. The only thing that’s the same is that the heroine is named Summer, and she sees a missing person flier with her face on it for a kidnapping that’s in the future. She has to solve and stop her own murder before it happens.

I’m really proud of Last Seen in Idaho and the cast and crew that worked on it. It was a pretty ambitious production on an indie budget, so everyone wore a lot of hats to get it done, which you can see if you watch the “Making Of” on the DVD. The film is out now on DVD from online retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, and it’s also available almost everywhere on Video-On-Demand, like iTunes, Amazon Instant, Google Play, Vudu, Xbox, PlayStation, and from you local cable or satellite provider.

In making Last Seen in Idaho, you found yourself shooting in my beloved home state of Washington. How do you enjoy filming in the Pacific Northwest? What sets working in this region apart from many of the others that you have shot in?

I love shooting in the Pacific Northwest. Washington is a beautiful state with such variety. We have waterfront, rainforest, good-sized cities, rural areas, mountains, all kinds of stuff. And if you want to venture to the eastside, you can get the desert look. I’d like to go over there and shoot a post-apocalyptical story someday.

For Eric and me and our company Fireshoe, as long as it makes sense for the project, we prefer to shoot in Washington. Logistically, it’s easier for us. We have so many friends and family members and business contacts here that we can pull from for resources. The film community here is pretty small, but because there aren’t a million movies being filmed here, the non-film people aren’t jaded about it. In Los Angeles or New Orleans or areas with bigger film industries, people get annoyed with city streets being shut down or filming that causes some noise in the neighborhood. But here, people are excited to be part of the process. Rather than paying an enormous fee for a location, people open up their doors for you. That’s in part because it’s not commonplace here and in part because we know so many people in the area that we can reach out to our network and say, “Hey, do you know someone with a secluded log cabin? Or, would you lend us your RV? Or, do you want to help us build this set? Or, do you want to be an extra in this party scene?” Doing that also creates a great community around the project, because everyone who contributed in some way is part of the team and in support of the film. 

I am very intrigued by the upcoming project in which you will appear in and be a producer of entitled Bayou Caviar. How did you become involved in working on the directorial debut of Cuba Gooding Jr.? And what should your fans be excited for when the film is out there?

Eric Colley and I came on board the project during the early financing stages. With our partners in China, we financed a large portion of the budget. The title of the film has actually changed a few times. The original script was called Burbank Caviar and it was set in Burbank, California. When we were considering different filming locations, New Orleans was on the list. Cuba really liked the look and feel of the city, and I agree that it works well with both the vibrant story elements and the sordid story elements. So then it was renamed Louisiana Caviar, and the pig farm in the script was changed to an alligator farm, which is even more interesting anyway. Alligators are scary! Finally now it’s titled Bayou Caviar.

My acting role is tiny. It’s just a small scene with Cuba, but it was fun to switch from producer to actor for a few hours. And that’s actually what I’m most excited about is the performances in this movie. Cuba is great as a boxer who’s past his prime, and Richard Dreyfuss is a wonderful bad guy. There is a reason that both of those men have won Oscars. Famke Janssen is fantastic as a tough, manipulative character whose moral compass is off-kilter. Actually, most of the characters in this movie have moral compasses that are defective. That might make the film challenging for some audience members. Who do you like? Who do you root for? There are story elements that are uncomfortable, and some themes and topics that are quite timely.

 What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to share with our readers?

Sure! I recently wrote two new scripts, and we’re in development on them right now. One is a fun action-thriller and the other is an eerie psychological thriller. We’re working on the financing and packaging.

Throughout the last six months or so, I wasn’t really acting or auditioning. My focus was almost entirely on my screenwriting and my editing of the “Behind the Scenes” for The Last Seen in Idaho DVD and social media teasers. There are only so many hours in the day! But I’m feeling the acting bug again, so I need to get back out there. It’s my understanding that a psychological thriller that I acted in late last year is just finishing up post-production. It’s called Losing Addison and it stars Sherilyn Fenn from Twin Peaks. I play a pushy District Attorney in it, and I can’t wait to see it.

I have a website where I write a blog and post my short stories that I call “Tiny Stories.” I also give updates about my projects, so people can always check that out to see what the latest is. I’m really active on Instagram too.
www.HallieShepherd.com
www.Instagram.com/hallie.shepherd

What was the last thing that made you smile?

This interview. I smile and laugh a lot! Life is weird, so you have to. 

Bayou Caviar is available now on VOD wherever you stream movies. Check out the trailer here:

Josh Roush [Interview]

Oh, do we have a special one for you fine folks today! Regular readers here know that based on the plethora of folks we have had featured on the site that have been involved in the world of Kevin Smith, View Askew, Smodco, etc…..we are HUGE fans of the world that Kevin has built around him. One of his greatest strengths and talents in the business has always been that he surrounds himself with wonderful and incredibly talented people. I feel as though he would totally agree with this statement. And today we have some wonderful words from another of the amazing people that he has on his team. It’s motherfuckin’ Dr. Josh, Ya’ll!

For fans of Hollywood Babble On, that last sentence probably made total sense. For the rest of you who may not have checked out this amazing live show/podcast, first of all how dare you?, and second of all I am talking about filmmaker and multimedia jack of all trades Josh Roush! Josh has been working in the Smith universe for quite some time. In fact, it was his work as a personal assistant to the legendary and sorrily missed Michael Parks on the set of Tusk that has led him to create a wonderful documentary about the life of Mr. Parks that seems so damn intriguing. It’s called Long Lonesome Highway: The Story of Michael Parks, and it is geared to be the most definitive story of Parks’s life you will ever need!

We were so honored that Josh was willing to grace our digital pages to tell us a bit about the doc, his work with Smith, and the plethora of other brilliant things he has managed to create in the world of entertainment. We learned so much about him and we are so proud to have him on the site today. So let’s just jump into it shall we? Please enjoy some amazing words from the brilliant Josh Roush!

What inspired you to get into the world of film and television? Was it an early aspiration you can always remember having? Or did you just find yourself in this line of work one day?

I’ve always been a movie buff, but growing up in a small-town in Ohio, it was hard to get your hands on anything outside of popcorn-fodder (not that there’s anything wrong with big flicks). So, the idea of being a filmmaker never even dawned on me. I honestly moved out to Southern California to pursue my love of Punk Rock and took out a massive student loan to do so. After a few years of playing live music and taking classes I eventually had to choose a major and film seemed the only thing I could see myself doing without being miserable in 30 years. So, I took classes, made a few friends, and suddenly I found myself doing quality control work for Sony.

After years of being in bands in the punk scene, I finally got tired of the egos it takes to make a band work. You have four or five people, all with their own opinions trying to make one group project work in a ten-foot by ten-foot practice space, so I quit music. But then I discovered something about myself and my nature: I’m an incredibly self-destructive person when I’m not being creative. That’s when I began treating film as more than a job I wouldn’t hate, but as a passion, and I began writing and directing short films, music videos, etc. Even today, my work on my newest project is winding down, and I find myself drinking more and more, so it’s time to start writing again.

We here at TWS are long time fans of the View Askew/Smodco world that Kevin Smith has created, having spoke with several different figures in that world. And you yourself are no stranger to the SmodCo world. So how did you find yourself working with Kevin on a multitude of projects. And what sets this world apart from other projects you have worked on?

One day I was sitting in class and I read a tweet from J.C. Reifenberg saying that he was looking for a few interns to work on live stuff he was doing with Kevin Smith and I figured what the hell, I needed an internship credit anyway. I worked at Sony during the day, got off, went to J.C’s house, edited all night, crashed on his couch, shot live shows on the weekends, and over the course of working 100 hour weeks, proved myself to be a valuable asset. One thing leads to another and suddenly I found myself shooting the Jay and Silent Bob tour in Australia.

I think working with Kevin and company right off the bat really kind of ruined me, and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s not a huge crew, so there’s a real family vibe to most of the work. It wasn’t until I showed up for a corporate shoot one day wearing my stupid punk rock vest and got weird looks that I realized, “Oh yeah, that’s not how most of the world operates.” So it’s a real family vibe all around, you’re allowed to be yourself which is unfortunately rare.

I was doing a lot of side gigs leading up to Tusk, so when I got there my instinct was to not wear my normal attire (I dress like a cartoon character, same dumb punk vest, same camo shorts). When I showed up Kevin’s partner Jen asked, “Where the hell is your vest?” and I remember breathing a sigh of relief that I was back in my little version of normality.

One of those specific projects you work on is being “Dr. Josh” for one of my favorite podcasts of all time, “Hollywood Babble On” with Smith and Ralph Garman. This damn show is just such a joy to listen to, and seems like a live show that I simply have to try and make it to one day. With that, I am curious to know how your experience has been working on this program? Has it been insane to watch it blow up to what it is today? What are some fond memories?

Well do come and see it live, I know a guy that knows a guy who might be able to score you a ticket.

Back when I was interning, I was working the crowd camera for Babble every show which meant I had to be on stage next to Kevin and Ralph. So, my history with them goes all the way back to some of the first shows at Universal City Walk. One of my jobs for the show is I help run their video service BabbleVision (unapologetic plug) and you can occasionally see me on stage with them in those older episodes.

It’s not been insane honestly. Kevin and Ralph are two of the funniest and most talented cats on the planet, I know I’m biased, but I see it as they’ve rightfully earned their status. As for fondest memories, it was only a few months back when I was having an issue with a documentary I’m working on and I asked Ralph’s advice after the show. He took me outside and we talked through it for more than an hour, which was not only an incredibly kind thing to do, but it made the project what it is. Working with people that support you and the projects you make is amazing, I’m very fortunate in that way.

You have done some impressive work in the world of horror, and we are huge fans of the genre. We even dedicate an entire month to showcasing the genre. So with that in mind, I am curious to know your thoughts on working in the world of horror? What is it about this world that makes it unique from the several other realms you have worked in?

I can’t stand horror. That’s not to say I dislike it at all, The Evil Dead franchise is my favorite series of films ever made. I can’t stand it. Like, it freaks me out, I have nightmares and I’m all out afraid of horror flicks. On like a 10-year-old level. One of my best friends in the world is the legendary Robert Kurtzman, I’ll go out and visit him and he’ll show me these fake cadavers, severed penises (you’ll have to ask Bob what that is about), random body parts and I can’t sleep for weeks! I recently went out to see the set of The Haunting of Hill House and I had to walk away from the set I was so freaked out. So, I appreciate horror, and I’m truly in awe of the storytelling, effects, and especially the fan base for it, but I can’t stand it in the fact that my mind (or perhaps a lack of testosterone) won’t let me watch it. I can work on the flick if need be, but I’ll avoid the special effects room like the plague. 

That said, I do have a life-size head sculpt of Justin Long in full walrus makeup in my hallway, which you can see from a certain angle when you’re sitting on my toilet (which CREEPS out guests). But I worked on that flick for so long I became a little desensitized to it.

I am very intrigued by the documentary you have coming out entitled Long Lonesome Highway: The Story of Michael Parks. I have read that you were his assistant on the wonderful film Tusk. So how did you manage to develop a fascination with Mr. Parks, enough so that you decided to invest the time and cash into creating a documentary about him?

Life is weird, and if you let go of the reigns it can occasionally take you to some strange and wonderful places. I showed up on the set of Tusk at the same time as Michael, but what no one knew was 6 months prior he had just had a massive accident that left him with a very aggressive brain injury. So, when he showed up, he was not so much the energetic Michael that had been on Red State. Kevin and Jen saw that he was having a hard time getting around, so thankfully they trusted me to take care of him.

It was strange at first, weird green haired dude and a crotchety old man buddying around the set. We had no idea what to make of the other, but when I mentioned Lenny Bruce his eyes went wide because come to find out, they had been great friends. So, talk about him led to all these other cats that Michael knew like Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra (who he swung on once), and even Martin Luthor King. That’s what most people don’t remember about the old man, in the late 60’s he was being groomed as an A list actor and as a result he knew everyone worth knowing. He had a 6-album music career, Tarantino once called him “the greatest living actor”, he had his own television show, his list of accomplishments really does go on and on. 

But, it wasn’t fascination per say, it was more appreciation. He did all these amazing things, and yet was born in the most impoverished of conditions (at 12 years old he was hopping the boxcars to chase farm work). He endured hardships that would have broken a lesser man (his second wife OD’d at 24, his brother drowned at 25, he had a 12-year-old daughter pass) and he continued on anyway. But, because he had flipped the bird to an executive or two along the way, he was blacklisted in Hollywood in the 70’s and the world kind of stopped paying as much attention as they should have. I got to be strangely close friends with one of the most talented humans that has ever existed, and it’s not fair that more people aren’t aware of him. Our goal is to change that.

What else does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers?

Thanks, as you can tell I always appreciate a good plug. You can check out ParksDoc.com to keep up on Long Lonesome Highway, and if you take a look at my website AntiCurrent.com (I’m always uploading my dumb projects there). Right now, we’re in pre-production on our debut narrative feature Wrong Reasons which my far-more-talented wife Liv Roush is producing and starring in and Kevin is Exec-producing as well. It’s not a horror film, but it is set in a cabin. Also, thanks to my buddy Cam Mosavian (the composer behind all our projects) starting up the band The Overrides, I’ve started to get back into music and sub in for second guitar when their main player is out of town so being back on stage has been exciting.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

Just now, you letting me tell people about Michael. Thanks for that.

Tina Parker [Interview]

Happy Friday Folks! And welcome back to the real world after a full on Month of Horror. Today we are sharing some words from an absolutely amazing actress who also happens to be a part of the horror community as well, but has talents that go way beyond just the world of horror. It’s Tina Parker! You know and love her from the world that Vince Gilligan has given us that is known as Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. She is brilliant on these programs, and in everything she does. Including her work on several other projects that we will discuss within the interview.

We are so damn excited to have Tina grace our digital pages here today. She is a wonderful actress, but more importantly she is a wonderful human being! So let’s not waste your valuable time with my ramblings, and just get right into it! Please enjoy some amazing words from the brilliant Tina Parker!

When did you realize that you wanted to join the world of acting? Has it always been a deep-rooted passion for you?

I’ve known since kindergarten- when I played a spinning top  in the first graders’ Christmas play (I was really tall and really goofy for my age) –that I wanted to be an actor.  I toyed with the idea of being a horse jockey (but was already too tall in 1st grade) and a heart surgeon in fifth grade (which lasted for all of 5 seconds) but other than that- I’ve always wanted to act. Luckily for me, I have a family and have had teachers along the way who really encouraged and supported me along the way of this crazy creative adventure.

What was the very first paid gig you scored as an actress? And was there any knowledge you learned from this first experience that you still use today? 

My first ever gig was an extra in the background of a banking commercial.  A more seasoned actor  noticed they were also shooting the Spanish version at the same time and leaned over to me and said “Call your agent on break and let her know. They need to be paying us for 2 spots”. I learned that you need to keep an eye on what’s going on, be familiar with the basic rules & fees and always ask questions – either to an AD/producer or your agent- if you are unsure about something. Nothing is a dumb question.

You have been giving a brilliant performance as Francessca Liddy in both of the acclaimed Vince Gilligan shows Breaking Bad and more recently Better Call Saul, along with our old friend Joe DeRosa. What has it been like to work in such an esteemed and brilliantly made world?

Thanks so much for the kind words! In one word – AMAZING. Best gigs of my career thus far, no question. Every day I get to be on those ABQ stages is a gift.  On both shows- no matter what your position, whether you are a show runner, a co-star or a PA, everyone is invested in the show and is willing to do whatever it takes to make the show the best it can be.  Plus, the BrBa/BCS folks are just good, down-to-earth hilarious folks, which makes for a fun set and one conducive to making good work. Land of Enchantment, indeed. 🙂

We are huge fans of the Puppet Master franchise, having spoken close to a dozen folks from the long running series. We are very excited about The Littlest Reich that you will be appearing in! What was it like to dive into the Puppet Master universe? And what can we expect to see you doing in the film? 

Totally insane and totally fun- – and (spoiler alert) I mean who doesn’t want to be chased & killed by one of those reedonkulous evil little bastard puppets?   I play Betsy – a tough biker broad.  Expect laughs and blood. LOTS OF BLOOD. ha.

Last year you also made a great appearance on the wonderful Amazon Original Series, One Mississippi, that features our dear friend Stephanie Allyne. What was it like to jump into a program like this?

Another fun gig -I guess I’m one lucky bastard in that respect. We shot in one of my favorite cities in the world- New Orleans, LA , which was glorious. I’m a huge fan of Tig Notaro so I tried not to fan girl out too much, ha. Tig was as genuine, generous, and hilarious as you would expect her to be from watching her stand-up. So slipping into their world for a one-off shoot, which can sometimes be discombobulating as an actor-  was fun and easy. Plus, I got to eat some delicious food and hear some rad jazz while I was there!

If you were handed the role of any one individual from American history, who would it be? 

I played Margaret Fuller in a play in 2011 (Charm by Kathleen Cahill) and was surprised  that I wasn’t really aware of her or her impact on women’s rights.  I would love to have another crack at her  – and spread the word about this amazing woman.

“You Got Older” coming to the Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, Texas.

What does the future hold for you? Anything you would like to plug to our readers? 

I’m pumped for our new season (Season #28!) at Kitchen Dog Theater in Dallas, TX – where I serve as Co-Artistic Director.  It’s an adventurous season chock full of mayhem, magic and premieres. I’ll be directing the Regional Premiere of You Got Older by Clare Barron. Check out the Kitchen Dog season here: www.kitchendogtheater.org. And finished work in March on a cool indie film called To The Stars with Malin Akerman, Jordana Spiro & Liana Liberato –  great script & director (Martha Stephens)  –excited to see how it all comes out.

What was the last thing that made you smile? 

I’m a huge Prince fan and recently made a pilgrimage to Paisley Park in Minneapolis for a weekend. Being surrounded by all things Prince- costumes, guitars, notebooks, etc , seeing video clips of him performing throughout his career, hearing his music — brought forth both the smiles and the tears…