Blog Archives
Biff Bam Pop Exclusive: The Rob Zombie Interview Part 2
Yesterday we had part one of our two part exclusive interview with the one and only Rob Zombie, the brilliant director behind The Lords Of Salem, opening this Friday. You can check that out here. Today, we finish of our discussion with a look at Rob and music – using it in film and making it himself (Rob’s new album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor is out April 23rd). Check out the song that is used to haunting degree in Lords of Salem and then read away!
Biff Bam Pop Exclusive: The Rob Zombie Interview Part 1
This Friday sees the release of director Rob Zombie’s sixth film, The Lords of Salem. Having seen the film at its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September, I can tell you that, in my opinion, Lords is Zombie’s greatest achievement yet. You can read our review here to get an idea.
I make no bones about being a huge Rob Zombie fan, so you can imagine my excitement when I had the chance to talk to the director about his latest film, the creative process, his music and much more. On the phone, Zombie is a friendly, welcoming guy to talk to. You can tell that not only is he a creator, he’s also a fan of pop culture in all its various forms. He’s also given Biff Bam Pop a lot of support over the last year, putting our interview with Lords actor Dee Wallace on his own homepage. On that note, check out the trailer for The Lords of Salem and then jump right into the first part of our interview with the one and only Rob Zombie.
The Premiere of Rob Zombie’s The Lords of Salem
Andy Burns: I was at the premier of Lords of Salem in Toronto and as a guy that’s a big fan of yours, I was pretty eager to see what you’d come up with. So I’m wondering, when your film is screened for the first time, do you get excited at all? I always kind of view you as a pretty laid back guy. Do you get nervous?
Rob Zombie: I don’t get sort of anything. I don’t get excited or anything. I mean, I want people to see it, obviously. I wouldn’t make it if I didn’t. But I don’t get excited like, I can’t wait to show it. And I don’t really get nervous, like “oh, what if people don’t like it”. You just kind of show it and see where it goes.
Andy Burns: It kind of is what it is, eh?
Rob Zombie: It is what it is. I think if I was newer to this I would have a different reaction. But now this is my sixth movie, plus all the music I’ve done, I’ve gotten used to the fact that it doesn’t matter. Everybody has a different opinion, everybody’s opinions change. I find it funny. With House of 1000 Corpses, the first movie I did, now that movie is beloved, everybody loves it. “I love that movie, that’s the best one.” When that movie came out, everyone hated it. Hated it! Like it was the worst film they’d ever seen. Now everyone loves it! That’s why it doesn’t matter. Same thing with people who say, “you should get back together with White Zombie, those records kick ass.” Really? Cause back then everyone just fuckin’ hated them! So it’s just like, time changes everything. I figure, no matter what goes on, it doesn’t matter.
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Biff Bam Pop! Exclusive Interview: Writer Andy Diggle Takes A Snapshot
Writer Andy Diggle and artist Jock have worked together in the comic book medium on a few occasions, namely the critically acclaimed The Losers and Green Arrow: Year One. Last month’s release of the thrilling four-issue mini-series, Snapshot, is their first creator-owned partnership. Published by Image Comics, Snapshot is fast-paced noir that tells the story of a teenager who finds a cell phone containing photos of a murder scene. It made our Wednesday Run as a pick of the week, and lived up to it’s billing as edge-of-your-seat reading!
Andy Diggle took some time out of his busy schedule to answer questions via email on the Snapshot series, working with his good friend Jock, the economy of writing opening scenes, the self-promotion of his work and his creative process.
Read more after the jump!
Exclusive Interview: Saga’s Michael Sadler Talks 20/20, Returning To The Band, And More!
One of Canada’s highly regarded progressive rock bands has always been Saga. Songs like Wind Him Up, The Flyer and On The Loose are ingrained in our rock and roll psyche and are probably being played on a classic rock radio station at this very moment. While the band has always possessed a unique sound, their brand new studio album 20/20 is a timeless addition to Saga’s catalogue. It marks the return of lead singer Michael Sadler to the fold after a multi-year absence, one that, as he explains below in our exclusive email interview, wasn’t due to any sort of band turmoil. Get the scoop of Sadler’s return to the fold, 20/20 and Saga playing live after the jump.
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Exclusive: The Marillion Interview With Steve Rothery and Pete Trewavas, Part 2
Editor’s Note: Today brings us the second and final instalment of Darrin Cappe’s world wide exclusive interview with Steve Rothery and Pete Trewavas of Marillion. You can read part one here. As a longtime fan of the band, and a musician himself, Darrin was obviously able to connect with Steve and Pete on a level that your average writer would never be able to. Suffice to say, many thanks to Darrin for sharing this revealing interview with Biff Bam Pop! Now, on to part 2!
Darrin Cappe: One thing I wanted to talk about was that apart from the band and that relationship, that in a lot of ways Racket Club (the band’s recording studio and home base) as a home base and that you all get along well, and have a place that you can go and create…that’s what a lot of bands lose as they move through their careers. Geographically they don’t have that interaction so much.
Steve Rothery: We’re incredibly lucky I mean all the musicians that have come in are so jealous of having somewhere where you can write, you can record, you can rehearse, store the equipment, run your web business and shop from. It is a perfect solution for a band in our position. I think a lot of bands have copied our approach. It’s one of the reasons we continue to do what we do.
Pete Trewavas: Also having our own studio has made us more relaxed in the studio environment.
S: We’ve made lots of albums where it has cost 1000 Pounds plus each day. There’s nothing worse than being in one of those types of places when you’re not finished writing.
P: Yeah we’ve been there before haven’t we? That is frustrating.
D: Well you are your own timekeeper and you aren’t bound by any schedules
P: Exactly and we’re empowered to do truly what we want to do.
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Exclusive: The Marillion Interview with Steve Rothery and Pete Trewavas, Part 1
Editor’s Note: My longtime web friend Darrin Cappe is a huge progressive rock fan and recently had the chance to sit down with the members of Marillion, one of the longest lasting prog rock bands of the past 30 years, with a devoted fan base and tons of critical acclaim. We’re very lucky that Darrin wanted to share his interview with Biff Bam Pop readers and prog fans around the world. Take it away, Darrin!
Marillion – they’re not the band you think they are. You may know them for the 80’s hit song “Kayleigh”. It is a great song from a fantastic album (“Misplaced Childhood”) without a doubt, however it is just one song. Judging the merits of Marillion as a band based on that song alone is sort of like judging Pink Floyd from the song Money, or Genesis by I Can’t Dance. It in no way is reflective of what the band is about; their history or their current way of life. By being familiar with only Money or I Can’t Dance one would be deprived of a vast wealth of incredible music from both bands; from Echoes to Supper’s Ready; Dogs to The Cinema Show; Comfortably Numb to Afterglow. It is a bit of a golden albatross in that “Kayleigh” elevated the profile of the band to a level that brought them mainstream awareness, but at the same time to those who only know the one song it is how they have come to be defined. This is the truly unfortunate part, for the fans that stuck with the band after their original lead singer/lyricist ‘Fish’ left in 1988 and those who have found them along the way; a whole other world of wonders has been their reward.
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Biff Bam Pop Exclusive: Dee Wallace on Rob Zombie’s Lords of Salem
This past Thursday I had the amazing privilege to talk to the legendary actress and horror icon Dee Wallace about her new film Exit Humanity, which makes its way onto DVD June 19th. The majority of our conversation was spent talking about the film, why she was drawn to the role of Eve and working with director John Geddes. We’ll have that feature up closer to the release of the film (which I recommend checking out – it’s one of the most unusual and beautifully shot zombie films I’ve ever watched ), but close to the end of our conversation I asked Dee what she could say about another of her films, Rob Zombie’s upcoming, The Lords of Salem. Dee’s worked with Zombie before, on Halloween and The Haunted World of El Superbeasto and, as you’ll see below, was full of love for the man I consider the best director in horror right now. Our exchange on The Lords of Salem was brief, but it gives us a little more insight into what we can expect from the film when it’s released later this year. Check out Dee’s comments after the jump.
The Comic Stop Exclusive Interview: Michael Moreci, Steve Seeley and JM Ringuet on Story, Art, Cryptoids And A Comic Book Called Hoax Hunters
A few weeks ago, the Hoax Hunters introductory issue #0, published by Image Comics, made the Biff Bam Pop! Wednesday Run as the hot comic to pick up. You can read that particular column here. Inspired by conspiracy television shows such as Ancient Aliens, Brad Meltzer’s Decoded and Destination Truth, Hoax Hunters turns the genre on its head as the comic book’s protagonists attempt to disprove life’s oddities in front of the camera –while covering up dark mysteries behind it. Writers Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley and artist JM Ringuet were kind enough to talk to Andy Burns and JP Fallavollita via email about the series, the creative process, monsters, cryptoids, television and much, much more.
