VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016 ISSUE 13
NORMA JEAN
CORY BRANDAN WOLF CREEK
JOHN JARRATT
SUPERMAN's LOIS LANE
MARGOT KIDDER
JUNGLE BOOK COMPOSER
JOHN DEBNEY
s r a W Star e n O Rogue preview
STRANGER THINGS | SUCIDE SQUAD
FRESH FROM READING AND LEEDS...
Slaves
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EDITORIAL David Garlick Editor / Design david.garlick@vulturehound.com
Michael Dickinson Online + Film Editor michael.dickinson@vulturehound.com
e’ve an intergigantic sized issue for you this month with a forceful preview of the latest Star Wars film Rogue One..
Dan Whitey Co-Music Editor
Fresh from Leeds Festival we had the chance to chat with SLAVES.
Grae Westgate TV Editor
It’s all about Cinematic Universes as we look at Marvel, DC and what’s to come. Plus the original 70s Lois Lane Margot Kidder also gave us some time to chat about Superman and more. More interviews! Jungle Book composer John Debney and Wolf Creek’s John Jarratt
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I’ve run out of room.. there’s so much more! David Garlick
Cover Photo: Jonathan Olley © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd
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VULTUREHOUND
BRITISH SITCOMS
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Words: Luke Thomas
T N E R BIS BACK:
N O S M O C BRITISH SIT N E E R C S T H E B IG
L
ater this month, film audiences will either be left ecstatic or irritated at the unexpected resurrection of David Brent in the new comedy film David Brent: Life on the Road. First introduced in the seminal mockumentary series The Office in the early 2000’s, the character was originally conceived and characterised as the archetypal ‘Boss from Hell’ at a boring, Slough based branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Brent spends his time in the series terrorising his bored and unimpressed workers with his cringe inducing antics and his attempts to play up to the camera. From his realistic portrayal of a scarily recognisable character over the course of the short two series, both the creator Ricky Gervais and the David Brent character have managed to achieve substantial success and a firm cult status in British popular culture, whilst the show itself is ranked highly amongst the cream of the crop of British comedy.
However, like many creators of such a successful property, Gervais hasn’t been able to let go of his Frankenstein’s monster just yet. A few appearances in Comic Relief skits and the American adaptation of the series aside, Brent hasn’t been in the forefront of a series since The Office ended in 2003, but after a thirteen year hiatus he is now back in the character’s first cinematic appearance. The film (set for release on the 19th of August) has Brent being shadowed by a documentary film crew yet again, as he travels up and down the country trying to break into the music business and achieve his dream of becoming a rock star. Gervais has stated that this film will catch the audience up on what has happened to Brent in the last 13 years, whilst also peeling back the layers on the “extraordinary, ordinary man”. Whilst the buffoonery, self-delusion and uncomfortable scenarios present in the series all seem to be in check from the trailers and TV spots, Brent being rebooted does open up the debate as to whether or not these iconic comedy characters are best off being left behind in their TV roots? Cinematic adaptations
of popular British sitcoms have never been particularly well received and are certainly not a recent tradition, having been hugely popular in the 1970s with everything from Porridge to Steptoe and Son getting a film adaptation, with generally negative results. The last few years have seen a similar trend on our screens, with Mrs Brown’s Boys, Bad Education and a reboot of Dad’s Army all having cinematic releases and being critically panned, as well as a film adaptation of Absolutely Fabulous in cinemas now getting mixed reviews. This is definitely turning out to be the year for bringing old sitcoms and old comedy characters back into the limelight, but is that a good thing? The last canonical appearance of David Brent was in 2003 with The Office Christmas Special, where we see him trying to get by as a struggling salesman after being fired from Wernham Hogg. As well as this, Brent is living under the delusion that he is now famous thanks to the documentary, making a living off the ‘fame’ by making demeaning club appearances alongside a stream of other minor celebrities. As well as desiring fame in this two-parter, we watch Brent
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h s i t i r B n o d e s a b “Films ys a w l a t ’ n o d s e i d e m co ” l a i r e t a m e c r u o s da m ag e t h e try to find love and a date for the annual office Christmas party. For one of the first times in the series you really get an idea of the immense tragedy behind the character, as we see his desperate need for fame and appreciation from those around him. These final appearances are tragic, and manage to finally humanise the monster that we had seen for the two series previous. In his last few scenes Brent finally meets a woman who gets along with him, and when pushed from yet another insult by his friend Chris Finch he tells him bluntly to ,“fuck off”. As he poses for a photograph with his workers, he finally manages to achieve the impossible; he makes them laugh. And cut. This final appearance for the oft derided character gave him an arc, and wrapped up the fantastic series in a neat bow. Not content with this ending apparently,
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Gervais has brought the monster back, and in doing so it could be argued that he has unravelled the perfect ending to the show and that character’s own personal happy ending. Despite Brent’s huge character faults, watching him have a sort of happy ending and a redemption was pleasing, and yet now we’re here 13 years later, with the character being just as much of a pr**k as he was in his very first appearance in the pilot. Does this insistence of bringing sitcom characters back in film adaptations undo the legacy left behind from the series that they originate in? Does it also undo any development that the characters may have gone through? One such example comes in the two film adaptations of The Inbetweeners. The Inbetweeners was a fantastic comedy series from Channel 4, that in the span of three series showed the trials and
tribulations of four sixth form students going through the awkward adolescent phase of life as they get drunk, sit exams and go through a series of humiliating sexual encounters that usually end in failure. Worryingly for the most part (for myself at least), this series was closer to the horrifying reality of being 17 than sensationalist teenage dramas like Skins and One Tree Hill ever were. What made the series particularly perfect was the wonderful cast and the chemistry they have with one another; Simon Bird as the sarcastic and pessimistic Will McKenzie, Joe Thomas as the love stricken and cynical Simon Cooper, Blake Harrison as the dim-witted Neil Sutherland and James Buckley as the immature and vulgar Jay Cartwright. The final episode has Simon having to move away to Swansea after his dad lost his job, and as a final farewell the boys go on an ill-fated Camping trip to the countryside. After a series of escalating disasters that lead to Simon’s car being destroyed and everyone throwing up in the tent, the four walk home whilst making jokes about Will’s fit mum. The series finale opens up a hint that Simon and Carli (the girl he hopelessly loves) may have a future in an optimistic ‘finale’ moment, whilst also sweetly showing the camaraderie between the four friends in a typically vulgar and hilarious way. The film adaptation of the series is set a few months after the series finale, and like many film spin offs has a drastic change of location to escalate the situations and increase the humour. Transporting the action from South-West London to Malia, the film has the four teens go on a lad’s holiday to celebrate finishing sixth form before they all head off to University or employment. Despite the film admittedly being very funny and having a lot of great moments, the impact of the series finale is lost in many ways by carrying the four character’s story on. We see that Simon did (unsuccessfully) end up with Carli and never moved away, which were both
big factors in the finale. This film ends with the four each finding suitable love interests, which is scrapped yet again in the sequel when their new girlfriends are quickly discarded as they go travelling across Australia. Both of these films have been relatively successful in the UK but have been criticised worldwide, with a general consensus being that they never manage to shake off the TV roots. This could also prove a problem with the return of Brent, who is so well established in Television that it’s hard to imagine him leading his own feature. In bringing back these TV characters again and again in a cinematic format, it could be argued that it’s never giving them a chance to grow up. However, films based on successful British comedies don’t always have to result in damaging the existing source material. In 2009 Armando Iannucci made In the Loop, a film mostly adapted from the incredibly funny political comedy The Thick of It. Like the series, the film takes a satirical look at the nature of politics, but in the film Iannucci explores 21st century Anglo-American politics and the Invasion of Iraq rather than the inner workings of the British Government that is predominantly seen in the television series. What In the Loop really manages to achieve and what makes it a great film in its own right is that it manages to find the right mix between using elements from the series correctly, whilst still remaining original and not relying on the success of what has come before. The incessant and inventive use of swearing, the clever writing and the presence of Peter Capaldi as the monstrous spin doctor Malcolm Tucker are all in check, but you can clearly tell that this isn’t just an extended episode of the show. Familiar cast members make appearances in the film playing completely different characters, with the story itself being radically different from anything that was seen in the show. A large portion of the film is
also dedicated to the American side in this political conflict, which lead to the development of Emmy award winning show Veep a few years later. In this outing, Iannucci manages to use his unique writing style and the fantastic actors cast to give a completely different and fresh look at the nature of politics than he’d done previously, and what we were given was one of the cleverest and funniest British comedy films of all time. Only time can really tell as to whether Brent’s return will be a revelation in the somewhat tired trend of TV to film adaptations and bring something new to the table and to the iconic character, or whether the film will fall short and be yet another sad attempt to recapture the magic of a successful show. With Gervais’s writing history I would like to believe the former, I just hope that on the 19th we will have something more along the lines of In the Loop than Mrs. Browns Boys. Just please, don’t bring back that dance...
Photos: © 2016 Legendary/Blizzard/ Universal Pictures
CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
Words: Andy Oates
A G N I D L I U
B
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SUCIDE SQUAD
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CINEMATIC UNIVERSE fter a hugely successful theatrical run, Captain America: Civil War is heading to Digital HD on 30th August, with a release on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D coming the following week on 5th September. Captain America was a smash hit at the box office earlier in the year, with it becoming the highest grossing film worldwide in 2016 so far, and received mass critical acclaim. But with the superhero genre becoming so competitive, what is it that makes Captain America: Civil War, and by extension the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so successful?
A
By the end of 2016, six superhero blockbusters will have released, with two titles coming from all three of the major players in the genre today: Marvel Studios, Warner Bros’ DC films and 20th Century Fox’s X-Men Universe. With only Marvel Studios’ own Doctor Strange left to be released, it appears as though Captain America: Civil War will be the year’s favourite comic book movie. One reason for this could very well be the fact that Civil War is the thirteenth film within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or MCU, and the fifth film starring the titular Captain America. This means that by the time Civil War released, the audience may have developed a sense of loyalty to Marvel’s brand, knowing that in general their films are successfully entertaining ones,
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CAPTAIN AMERICA
allowing most to feel at ease buying tickets to their latest film. A familiarity with the protagonist certainly does not hurt either, as the audience have had plenty of opportunity to get to know Captain America (Chris Evans), also known as Steve Rogers, and watch him grow. The audience can see Rogers develop from a scrawny kid desperate to serve America into an iconic superhero who will oppose his country in the name of freedom. The same journey can be applied to Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, also known as Tony Stark, who begins his story as a reckless playboy who learns over the course of the films that he needs to be more responsible to protect the public, to the point where he will now willingly work with the government he once opposed and face off against his friends to ensure they are kept in line. However, there is clearly more to Marvel’s success than establishing brand
loyalty as can be seen with the warm critical reception Captain America received. Part of the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably the quality of filmmakers that Marvel Studios employ. Anthony and Joe Russo return to direct Captain America: Civil War after they wowed audiences in 2014 with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and they crush it again, even with the expanding cast list. Marvel Studios may have had some history with directors leaving projects, such as Edgar Wright’s infamous departure from 2015’s Ant-Man before Peyton Reed stepped in, but this seems to be the studio ensuring that they have a director who shares their vision and is a good fit for the project so they can trust the
Photo: Film Frame..© Marvel 2016
property to them. The direction in the MCU feels like the studio trusts the various filmmakers, allowing us to feel the director’s specific vision in each film, such as James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, with only minor elements feeling like they came from studio notes such as scenes that establish or connect with other areas of the Marvel Universe. Unfortunately, this isn’t something that is shared across the other cinematic universes right now. Warner Bros. rarely feel confident with the directors helming their blockbuster superhero films to the point where the editing is frequently cited as an issue as it becomes clear that studio intervention has caused scenes to be ripped out of the final cut. The very existence of an Ultimate Edition of
Batman v. Superman, coupled with Jared Leto admitting a high volume of Joker scenes were cut from Suicide Squad and reports that the final cut of the film was taken away from director David Ayer begs the question if the studio actually trust the directors they are bringing on board and if they have a positive relationship with them.
THERE IS MORE TO M A R V E L ' S S U C C ES S THAN BRAND LOYAL TY
An additional benefit to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe is that they have a tremendous lead on the competitors in the market. Marvel Studios first introduced their universe in
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CINEMATIC UNIVERSE
WONDER WOMAN
2008 with Jon Favreau’s Iron Man, and took four years to establish key characters in the universe and gently establish connectivity, such as with Robert Downey Jr.’s cameo in The Incredible Hulk or the appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D. in both Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger following its first appearance in Iron Man. Only then did Marvel play their ace card by combining their various franchises together in Joss Whedon’s Avengers Assemble, and the rest is history. With
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DC starting their ‘Extended Universe’ in 2013, they were already five years behind on Marvel, and thus decided to organise their plans differently’. In 2017, Justice League will be released before key characters such as The Flash, Cyborg and Aquaman appear in their solo films. It’s a slightly different approach, but not necessarily a wrong one. After all, Marvel pioneered one way of forming a cinematic universe but there’s no evidence it’s the singular way to do
it. Unfortunately, films within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) often struggle with trying to give the audience too much information at once. An often condemned scene in Batman v. Superman involves a character viewing video files on each member of the Justice League, introducing the characters to the audience early. A large portion of Suicide Squad is dedicated to one character describing the history
JOKER I SUICIDEN SQUAD
D C O F T E N ST R U G G L E WITH GIVING THE AUDIENCE TOO MUC H INFORMATION AT ON CE
and personality traits of each member of the Squad one by one to another character on screen, and to the audience. These sequences never feel natural and seriously harm the flow of a film. Compare that with the large ensemble we see in Captain America: Civil War. Having so many major superheroes to deal with in one film could easily become a mess
and detract from the key story involving Captain America, Iron Man and the Winter Soldier. However, because we have met the majority of these characters previously, and we have organically learned their personalities and seen them grow, Civil War can easily bring characters in, such as Hawkeye, have their contribution to the film and have them leave without the need for exposition. This allowed the film to
naturally focus more on the plot, and when the time does come to introduce new characters such as Black Panther or Spider-Man, it can do so with ease without being burdened with another half-dozen characters waiting for an introduction. This is, indeed, a factor that has plagued various superhero universes on screen, including Sony’s now dead The Amazing Spider-Man universe. Cancelled after only two instalments, Sony originally
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CINEMATIC UNIVERSE planned a web of films that would feature Spider-Man characters in interconnected films. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 even establishes characters ready for these future films to use, such as Paul Giamatti as the Rhino who would later have starred in a Sinister Six film. The end credits of the film even included graphics depicting the various characters that Sony planned to feature in the Sinister Six film. Unfortunately, many agreed that Sony were too focused on building a universe and forgot to make a great movie, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 suffered from a weak plot and by focusing too much on setting up other properties, resulting in extremely critical reviews that led to Sony’s plans being scrapped and the character being once again relaunched to fit in with Marvel Studio’s films. Finally, one additional factor that allows Marvel continued success is the variety they incorporate into their various films. While the majority of films in the MCU do bear a similar tone, each property brings something different to the table from the rest that allows the colourful characters that grants them a distinctive voice within the universe. For example, Guardians of the Galaxy played out like a classic space opera, whereas Captain America: The Winter Soldier was presented as more of a political thriller. Ant-Man was essentially a super-powered heist film, while Captain America: The First Avenger was a period war film. This is something competitors have tried
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Photo: Film Frame..© Marvel 2016
SPIDERMAN
themselves. Fox’s X-Men series received a distinctively different entry earlier this year in the form of the comedic spin-off Deadpool to great success. The DCEU has gone from a superhero epic with Batman v. Superman, into an anti-hero ensemble piece with Suicide Squad, with 2017’s planned Wonder Woman appearing to be a WWI period film and Justice League likely taking the form of an ensemble blockbuster epic. However, neither studio has been as successful as Marvel in that regard, likely due to the inconsistency in quality of their various instalments. While Fox’s Deadpool was a great success, last year’s Fantastic Four which would have reportedly crossed over with the X-Men franchise had it been successful was a disaster by all accounts. None of the DCEU films have gone down so well critically, regardless of the tone or genre. Perhaps therein lies the true secret to Marvel’s success in that there isn’t just one simple answer. Marvel Studios has created a universe of thirteen films where none so far have been considered critical disasters. Each film has slowly and strategically introduced character by character and allowed their motivations to progress organically to the point where a humongous ensemble
cast of superheroes as we see in Captain America: Civil War is not only plausible, but actually becoming the norm for the studio following the wildly successful Avengers films. Kevin Feige, the head honcho of Marvel Studios, has spent a decade carefully placing each piece of the Cinematic Universe in place, ensuring that each one stands alone as a quality film but all serve the franchise as a whole. Each piece of the franchise has resulted in an incredible tower that Feige has constructed like Jenga; fragile and easily destroyed, but with enough care and attention it possesses the potential to grow, especially considering the excellent foundation Marvel Studios has created. However, Marvel’s competitors are all too eager to create towers equally as impressive, and rush the bricks into place regardless of quality only to be surprised when the tower quickly collapses. As long as people like Kevin Feige exist at Marvel Studios who are brave enough to entrust their precious properties with filmmakers and to strategically plan the franchise’s future, I see no reason why Marvel’s success won’t carry on for years beyond now. Captain America: Civil War is a testament to that, showing how much the franchise has grown in the eight years since Iron Man, and the characters with it. SUCIDE SQUAD is at cinemas now.
WOLF CREEK
Words: Grae Westgate
Wolf Creek WE SPEAK TO JOHN JARRATT
Photos: © Screentime P/L Photo Matt Nettheim.
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C
ult Australian horror Wolf Creek shook audiences to the bone when it was released back in 2005, introducing to the world the maniacal Mick Taylor, a pig-shooter turned serial killer, hellbent on ridding the Outback of all those pesky tourists. We caught up with Mick’s real-life alter ego, the slightly less terrifying JOHN JARRATT, to talk about bringing the character to the small screen in FOX’s spine-tingling new adaptation, as well as the joys of playing a psychopath and his hopes for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert 2...
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WOLF CREEK
08 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 24 18 MARCH MAY 201620162016
So how does it feel to be returning to the character of Mick? It’s always a ton of fun to play old Mick. He always has a good time, enjoys himself! Taking out tourists and stuff; just another day in the life. It’s pretty straightforward. He’s much the same as he always is! It was hard in the first movie, developing the character, but now it’s like riding a bike. I’m pretty well on top of the character, know exactly what to do. I’m well-trained in the art of Mick!
You say it was difficult at first. How did you get into the mindset of such a foul character? It did take a long time! The first time I played him in the original, I did a bit of research into serial killers. That guy in Australia... I tried to find out a little bit about the lack of empathy and what a psychopath is and how they get their rocks off doing it. And then it was trying to justify Mick’s mind and how he lives with himself. It’s just like hunting kangaroos, these backpackers, but you can have a lot more fun with ‘em!
Did you read much into the stories of Ivan Milat and Bradley Murdoch, the real-life killers on which Mick is based?
“I’m only evil when people are paying me” No. (laughs) Greg (McLean) and I decided to use a few of their techniques, but to come up with a completely fictional character. The real guys were gruesome, but I wanted to come up with my own character of this psychopath serial killer. A mate of mine describes him as the anti-Dundee, which I think is a pretty good description.
What do you think was the worst thing you’ve had to do as Mick? Well, I could tell ya, but I’d have to kill ya! It’s a bit of a spoiler. It’s in the first episode of the series we just did. The first ten minutes. It’s full on. You’ll have to watch it to find out!
Is it very different playing the role in a TV show compared to playing him on film? No. It’s exactly the same. The only difference is that the writing in it becomes episodic, which is what good television’s all about. Making you watch the next one.
That’s the device, but that doesn’t change anything that I do as Mick Taylor. The clapperboard goes and I become Mick Taylor; it’s exactly the same as the movie in that respect. If I change him in any way now, I’d be lying to the character.
How do you turn off the Mick at the end of a day of filming? (camping it up) Oh, I just say goodbye to the character and turn it off and become myself again. I just play around with my little friends and turn back into Mick again when the time comes! (laughs)
And how do your “little friends” react to you as Mick? Well I’m taking the piss, mate! (laughs) No, I walk away from Mick pretty quickly. I have a shave and then I go home!
So for you it really is a case of just stepping SEPTEMBER MARCH MAY 2016 VULTUREHOUND 19 09 25
WOLF CREEK
into the character and then stepping out again... At the end of it, yeah. I do walk away from it very quickly. I want to shed it. There’s the dark side of playing that character, so I have be in there during the TV show or the films. You have to be in that mode. It’s hard to describe it, but you’ve gotta be in that “area” without becoming a wanker bloody method actor! Occassionally, y’know, I’m sixty-four and the younger actors in their thirties or forties, I’ll start sparring with them... I’m a bit of a boxer... so I’ll smack ‘em around a bit just to amuse myself or belittle them a little (laughs). I like bashing ‘em up.
With the success of the TV show, is Wolf Creek 3 still on the cards? 08 VULTUREHOUND AUGUST 2016
With this TV show, we’re talking about doing another one, and then maybe a movie, and then probably I’ll be in a walking frame shortly after that! Mick Taylor’ll be knocking out the Outback Retirement Home!
With the international success of the show, do you think we’ll be seeing more Australian productions on screens across the globe? Oh yeah! Any international success is good for any industry, no matter what it is. So, yeah. I mean, forty percent of the films you wanna see has got an Australian in it at the minute. And you guys (Britain) have been doing pretty well too, quietly. The Fassbenders of this world. Of course if your film industry’s doing well, everyone’s doing well.
Having finished with Mick, for the time being at least, what would be the perfect antithesis to move onto next? Well, a nice gay character might work! (laughs) Just some worn-out old transvestite! Maybe Priscilla 2, blasting out some old Barbra Streisand songs or something! I don’t think about it. I just do the next script that’s thrown at mWWif it’s any good! I’m doing a film called Boar at the moment, about a huge pig. I’m playing the hero in this one for a change, instead of a nasty bastard. I’m only evil when people are paying me! Wolf Creek, Tuesdays at 10pm only on FOX
Steelchairmag.com
AMBLIN
Words: Ashleigh Walmsley
I
n 1981, a little known company, titled after a small film of the same name, formed. Its founders — iconic film director Steven Spielberg and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall — have had their names attached to a magnitude of classic films throughout the years, and I can guarantee at least one of them is one of your favourites of all time.
f o c i g The ma
n i l b Am
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Whilst the company is an independent production company, Universal Studios are known for producing a large chunk of their offerings. And in turn it’s only natural for Spielberg to also dedicate time as either a directing or producing credit. But what Amblin have supplied audiences over the years have grown into firm family favourites, and in turn rarely misstep in delivering the goods in plentiful proportions. Their features usually brim with adventure and magic, and often cater to wide audiences as well as harbouring the abilities to hack into that flair of child that may or may not be so easy to tap into. Of course that’s down to the director and writing team of that specific film, but when Amblin tend to release something, you can almost guarantee it’s worthwhile. Their most recent picture taps that right on the head as Steven Spielberg tackles one of Roald Dahl’s most famous and beloved pieces of work, The BFG. The film, judging by the trailer alone, looks every bit as magical and heartwarming as both its original source and the typical norm from one of Amblin’s films. Below are a handful of others that you should expect from the Amblin.
Gremlins Released in 1984, Joe Dante’s horror comedy has been a beloved favourite of millions for years. With an executive producer credit from Spielberg, the stories of Gizmo might have possibly given you nightmares as a child after the evil, destructive blighters are formed, but this was truly one of the
original great horror-comedies that spawned a sequel which was just as enjoyable, though lighter in tone, as the first. And anybody who says they didn’t want a mogwai after this was released is just lying.
The Goonies Another classic in its own right, The Goonies, based on a story written by Spielberg and a screenplay by Chris Columbus (who also wrote Gremlins), the film features a gang of tight-knit buddies who live in the “Goon Docks” and fight for their neighbourhood by chasing down the legendary tale of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary pirate whose treasures are apparently buried somewhere nearby according to an old Spanish map. Adventure and sheer hilarity ensues as a criminal family are hot on their trails. The film breathed life to the truffle shuffle and has since grown a massive cult following.
Arachnophobia The directorial debut from usual producer Frank Marshall, Arachnophobia, crazily rated PG, holds firm as potentially one of the scariest family films of all time, tapping into that general fear of, you guessed it, spiders. The film, starring Jeff Daniels, follows a family’s recent move to a farmhouse, unbeknownst of the current infestation that has arrived from the exotic plains of Venezuela, and the town’s realisation after a series of unexplained deaths. If this film doesn’t make you shudder and quake, I truly don’t know what will.
Hook The late, great Robin Williams stars alongside Dustin Hoffman and Julia Roberts in an adaptation of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. A version of the story we’ve not quite seen before, the film, directed by Spielberg, is one many would have grown up with, encapsulating that feeling of adventure that truly makes these movies come alive. It might not be Disney’s version, but it’s sure just as entertaining.
Twister Fresh off the director’s chair from Speed, adrenaline junkie Jan de Bont brought us Twister. With a screenplay from Jurassic Park scribe Michael Crichton and produced by Kathleen Kennedy, the film follows a group of storm chasers as they attempt to create a data-gathering instrument designed to be ingested into the funnel of a tornado. The film, whilst bordering on frightening for children, is something I personally grew up with. These are just a handful of features that I adore from Amblin Entertainment. Whilst the company gave us other, more obvious, classics such as Back to the Future and Jurassic Park, it’s too hard to indulge in those other fan favourites that hold firm today. The company, and Spielberg himself, have unleashed The BFG to audiences worldwide and are set to head onto their next project, Ready Player One. Gear up, we can smell another classic family favourite!
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Photo: Jen O’Neill / Reading Festival
Slaves Words: Shany Bayliss
E
ach year, the Radio One/NME Stage at Reading and Leeds produces one act that fills the tent and leaves everyone talking. There was Royal Blood in 2014, who then went on to play the Main Stage the following year, and last year there was Slaves, who this year made that same jump to the Main Stage.
We were lucky enough to catch up with vocalist and drummer Issac just before the band took to the Main Stage of Leeds Festival to play in front of a mammoth mid-afternoon crowd.
We saw you last year on the NME Stage, and we saw Royal Blood the year before, the both of you playing breakout performances. So what’s it like coming back to play the Main Stage? It’s just incredible. I was welling up yesterday on the Main Stage, looking up and seeing my Mum. It feels like we’ve come a long way.
I
Slaves
Slaves
We’ve made our way up the stages and it feels like real progression. It’s a humbling and nice feeling to be gracing the Main Stage. These were the first festivals that we came to. It feels wicked man.
You re-released your previous album late last year. Was that to give you some more time to work on the new album, or was there just music you needed to get out?
Do you find harder on the Main Stage?
No, we did it all really quickly. On this album, there were a couple of tracks that had been sitting around for a while but we wrote and coordinated really quickly. We were in LA because we’d been on tour with Wolf Alice and we were only supposed to do three days, or something, recording with Mike D, and then we just called our management and Laurie was like, “You need to let us stay, were going to stay and do the album,” and they were like, “Have you got anything to show the label? They are going to pay for you to stay out there and everything,” and we’re like, “No you’ve just got to trust us,” and we prolonged the Air BnB we were staying in and wrote the album.
I think with us it’s always been about the performance, not the production. We’ve got a fucking great production team but we never did anything fancy. It’s always been about the music. It’s a really clichéd thing to say, but it is.
But that’s what you are. You’re musicians. Some people going into this business wanting to be entertainers. I dunno, but that’s what I feel like. When we walk on stage I do feel like our role is as entertainers. That’s what I wanna do. I feel like I live to perform. My mind feels free when I’m on stage.
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That must be nice; just to be able to say, “We’re doing it now,” not
making it laborious and removing the chance of it getting in your head as much? I think that’s what it’s always been about for us. It’s always been very present, and our music has always been about now. We don’t like sitting on things for too long because then it doesn’t feel relevant anymore.
I was going to ask about that, because I’ve read interviews in which you are quite politically charged. Does keeping it relevant mean it’s a lot about what is happening now? Definitely. A lot of our subject matter is about things which are happening presently.
Do you ever worry that it will age the albums and the music, or as a band do you want to be playing what’s new and relevant? In ten years, you’ll obviously be playing
Photo: Kimberley Bayliss
"
I
It’s always been about the music. It sounds " cliched but it is. issac at leeds
the big hits but you’ll also still want to be raising questions and driving the conversation.
I think we’ll always progress and we’ll always be writing new music because that’s what’s important to us.
Has the way you write changed over the years or was the first album written as quick? Is this a new experience recording wise? It felt different; it definitely felt different. It felt like we let somebody else into our creative world which we never usually do. Mike D got involved with the writing and stuff; not actually writing but me and Laurie can be quite lazy in that we’ll write verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verses, chorus and that’s done. But Mike D was like, “That’s not done actually. It’s not good enough. We can go
somewhere with this,” and they were the times where he definitely pushed us creatively. I feel like we needed that little push because it makes you realise what you can achieve creatively.
Did the speed of it mean the label couldn’t get involved because you weren’t presenting demos? Could you just continue to do things your way? The label were wicked to us; they literally just let us crack on with it. They trust us. We’ve got complete creative control and they just let us do what we want to do. They’ve got the faith in us, I suppose.
Where is your head at the moment, are you anxious or apprehensive waiting for the album to come out?
I think anyone would be lying if they said they weren’t even a little bit anxious. More than anything I’m excited for people to hear it. We are both really proud of it, it feels like a decent body of work and we just want to get it out there.
You played a set on the BBC Introducing Stage last night, did a lot of people catch onto it? Yeah, it was packed. I almost preferred that gig to the Main Stage gig. It felt nice because the first time we played Reading was on the BBC Introducing Stage, some of the same crew was there. It felt really cool.
How long is it since you played that stage? This is our fourth year!
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"W e d o n ’t li k e si t t in g o n t h in g s
t o o lo n g b e ca u se t h e n it " e r o m y d o e sn ’t f e e l r e le v a n t a n
Yeah, we did the BBC Introducing Stage, then what was the Lock-Up Stage, Radio One/NME last year and then Main Stage this year.
It feels great, but then again, we do like a challenge. I think we did get offered to play higher up another stage or play the Main Stage, and wanted to see if we could do it and judging by yesterday we can.
So you might be challenging Frank Turner in twelve years?
Did I see the other day that you’ve announced a £1.99 tour?
It would be nice. I’m happy to keep coming back here whenever.
Yeah, were getting back in our Splitter and doing a really small tour basically.
In succession?
Is the plan? To try and come back next year higher up the Main Stage, or would you like to headline another stage? I know some bands would prefer to play higher up on a smaller stage. I don’t really mind, but I do think there is no feeling like filling up a tent. I know what you mean, like somehow ten thousand people in a tent somehow feels intimate.
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Aren’t they two hundred capacity venues? One of them is fifty capacity. It’s going to sick.
When you do the smaller venues do you see some of the old faces that have been there since the early days? Definitely. We still do now, there are people who have been with us since the early shows and still come now.
I
Slaves
Those people are really special to us, anyone who is invested in our art we fucking love, but the people who have been there from the start have got that place in your heart.
New stuff today?
We’ve got a few in there, they went down really well yesterday and by the end of the song people are singing along to the choruses. -
Slaves will be on tour in September and November and new album ‘Take Control’ is released on 30th September.
I
DD NUMAN GARY
Words: Dan Withey
‘ANDROID IN LA LA LAND’ GARY NUMAN DOC DIREC
TOR
S T E V E R EA D 30 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
S
ome regard him as one of pop music’s most influential artists, others as a bizarre onehit-wonder. Either way (hint, it’s not the onehit-wonder way) Gary Numan has been consistently releasing albums and touring for over 30 years. His impact on electronic music has seen him celebrated right across the spectrum of rock and pop – from Nine Inch Nails to the Sugarbabes. But it’s not been a smooth journey, and the respect hasn’t always been there. Often labelled a freak, and a bi-product of the weirder side of the 80’s, Numan has managed to ride it out despite a diagnosis of Aspergers, struggles with depression and the obstacles that come with finding fame at such a young age. His story has now been captured with amazing intimacy in the film Android in La La Land. A music documentary that shifts from rock-doc to an insightful, raw but heart-warming look at both Gary and his family wife Gemma and their children Echo, Raven and Persia - as they move to L.A. ahead of the release of Gary’s 12th studio album, Splinter. VultureHound spoke to Director Steve Read about the film.
Who would have believed it, Gary Numan as a human! Yeah (laughs), yeah. There were a lot of surprises for me. I didn’t expect him to be anything like he turned out to be, but I didn’t really know anything about him actually and it was quite by fluke the film was started in the first place.
So you weren’t a fan before you
started on La La Land? Well I was at the Hop Farm Festival in 2012 and Rob (Alexander coDirector/Producer) and I had just finished a film about amateur boxers on the road to the Olympic Games called Knock Out Scoucers - well Channel 4 named it that. So it was just about to come out, summer of 2012, the Olympics were about to happen and I went to the festival, and there was Bob Dylan playing and Paul Weller and stuff and I noticed Gary was playing and I thought I would go check him out cause I hadn’t heard his music in ages. I mean, I wouldn’t class myself as a Gary Numan fan, although I am more now after spending time with him and especially the album Splinter, but I’m not a Numanoid or anything. I just wanted to check out his show and I was completely blown away by it. I thought he was brilliant. His stage performance was incredible and I obviously recognised some songs because they’re so famous. Songs like ‘Cars’ and ‘Are Friends Electric?’, and he was playing them with a very industrial kind of sound and yeah, I loved it. That show that I saw is pretty much what you see in that sequence at Bestival in the film – he’s in a big top tent, he’s performing to a younger festival crowd, lots of late teens, early twenties - and he was playing the same songs. So the experience I had seeing Gary perform that first time is pretty much the experience the viewer gets watching that scene in Android in La La Land.
So from there how did the film come about? Well we ended up back stage later on and I bumped into him - well my friend made me bump in to him because I kept going on about Gary all night after the show (laughs), and
“I CHECKED OUT HIS SHOW AND WAS BLOWN AWAY BY IT” she pointed him out and told me to go and have a chat with him, so I did. I realised pretty quickly that he was a very interesting character, very engaging and had a unique delivery about him. He was also with Gemma (his wife) and the two of them together were just really funny and just seemed like great cinema - like a really great double act. So it didn’t take me long, after about 10 minutes I just blurted out “oh Gary, I want to make a film about you!” and from that he just disappeared into the night with my phone number scribbled on his wrist! I woke up the next day thinking “well that was a good night” and then I remembered speaking to Gary (laughs). So I went over in my head what we were talking about, looked in to him more, did some research - spent a whole week researching him really. We agreed to meet up and have a chat and just found out more about his back story, his huge influence on electronic music and pop music, rock music, and found out he was moving to L.A., packing up everything and moving to L.A. So there was enough to convince me there were enough layers and the film had legs. So I rang Rob up and convinced him to come on board and we started filming pretty much straight away.
All happened prett y quick then?
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DD NUMAN GARY Well the scenes you see with the pink house before he moves to L.A., that was the first thing we did - that interview. Then the second time we went over there was to film him packing up everything and then we followed him out to L.A., to his new crazy castle, filming him as he’s writing, recording and finishing the new album. Of course we then go one step beyond and go on holiday with the family!
Did you go in a separate car or was there room for you in the campervan too? Well I travelled mainly in the campervan, but we didn’t sleep in it, although they did offer. But believe me, once you’ve spent a whole day with someone you’re making a film about, you need your space at the end of it. And also we were cutting footage as well, every night, so we just stayed in this tiny wooden hut or a tent, depending
“WE’VE MANAGED TO DEAL WITH ISSUES SURROUNDING DEPRESSION” on where we were, and stay up late going through footage making some loose cuts and then doing it all again the next day. But yeah, quite a buzz getting to go on holiday with Gary Numan. I really enjoy saying the line “I’ve been on holiday with Gary Numan” (laughs).
It’s mentioned in the film, but it’s also true of some people I know, those who just see Gary as the guy who did ‘Cars’. That he was this weird, 80’s one hit wonder and not a lot else. You say you weren’t a fan before working on the film, so did you have any similar misconceptions? Well obviously ‘Cars’ is a huge hit, its one of the biggest songs ever recorded and you hear it all the time - in TV commercials or just going in to a bar or something and it’s followed me around like you wouldn’t believe! I just think a huge hit like that would give anyone’s body of work
32 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
an imbalance because it’s so big. But, I mean, he has recorded albums consistently for 30 years - with that small hiatus before Splinter came out, which of course is one of the themes of the film, and there’s reasons for that – and releasing albums, touring the albums and doing these classic album tours as well. But as for misconceptions, like I said I never knew that much about him but I guess, yeah maybe it was a bit – “hes the guy who did Cars”, and I guess that’s the same with a lot of people - if they don’t know him, they’ll know cars. It’s like at some of these film festivals in the states you’ll be speaking to someone and they’ll ask – “what are you doing here?” and I’ll say I’ve made a film about Gary Numan and they’ll say – “oh, ive never heard of him”, yeah you do he’s the guy who did ‘Cars’, you know - (sings) “here in my car, I feel…” and by the time you get to the ‘der der der du” but, they’ve got it! As for the other misconception, his character was kind of revealing itself to me as we went along. I think initially I thought yeah, he’s definitely unusual but Gary admits that he’s probably a bit odd -how many rock stars blow up a dingy and use it as a sofa in their front room, you know, or live in one bedroom in a six bedroom mansion? But its great for the film, and while we were filming things he would come out with this stuff like the dinghy line and I would look at Rob and go – “did you hear that? That was great”. And probably the other thing that people think about him is that he’s quite miserable but he’s not. He’s really really funny, and that was something I certainly wouldn’t have had him down to be, cause he is, he’s a really funny bloke. Particularly when he’s feeding off Gemma and they’re feeding off each other.
And she’s great, she’s absolutely hilarious - as are all the family, the girls as well. It’s almost like this isn’t a music documentary but a film advertising the triumph of ‘family’. Yeah, definitely. It’s as much about the kids and certainly as much about Gemma as it is about Gary. The kids play a really important role and even the cameo from the dog, Wilbur –he’s got some great comic timing that dog - but yeah, it’s definitely a love story before anything else. I think what it ended up being was part rock-doc, part road trip, part love story and part therapy session. All of those things kinda play their role in the narrative. And it starts off just like a music doc and then sort of develops in to this other thing and I think it kind of seduces you about half way through when all these other layers start to reveal themselves.
You manage to capture that contrast especially during that moment where Gary’s talking about his struggle with depression and diagnosis of Aspergers, while his daughter Echo is going around the garden singing ‘Cars’ to herself. The film is full of those moments when darkness and inward reflection are contrast or accompanied by shots of the family. Yeah, well Gemma certainly is the rock of his life and she’s certainly responsible for turning his career around and his life really. Her role in his resurrection, if you like, is absolutely pivotal. He needs her so much but he does talk about when he was thinking about leaving her and the whole relationship was breaking down, but god knows what will happen to him if that actually happens.
In the film he describes Gemma as “my buffer bet ween me and the rest of the real world”, was that obvious while spending time with them? Yeah, she is but his music is as well. And the thing I’m really proud of with this film is that we’ve managed to deal with issues surrounding depression. A lot of people, well, a lot of men actually, find it really difficult to talk about depression and it’s pretty common. This idea of the ‘midlife crisis’ you know “Colin next door is having a midlife crisis”, its seen like a bit of a joke but it’s very much the opposite of that, it affects a lot of guys, and women. So it’s great that someone of Gary’s stature is talking frankly and really openly about the experiences he’s been through - with mental health issues and the
anxiety attacks - so I’m really pleased we’ve managed to address that, and hopefully someone will watch it and see Gary talking about it and maybe help them to deal with it themselves.
there’s a surprising amount of colour in it, especially with the landscape of L.A. and its big blue sky featuring heavily.
How important is it for a film live this to have crossover appeal? To be for both the fans and non-fans alike.
Yeah, there’s a lot of blue in it when you get to L.A. In a way, the look of the film is dictated by what you chose to shoot with and I shot everything with two lenses on a Canon c300. A lot of it was shot on the 100mm lens with a very tight depth of field which gives it a very cinematic look. Also the framing of some of the interviews helped enhance that raw aspect – the camera has to keep a really long lens on it. Rob would go to the back of the garden to shoot while I sat and did theses sessions with Gary – almost like therapy sessions I think – and with a long lens, zoom straight into his face. He has this great, engaging look about him, and his eyes are incredible, you really engage with his eyes. So that’s one look. Then the gigs, they were great to film, but again they were shot with very tight depth of field. Plus Ollie Hudderson, the editor, did a really great job too, on the whole film. The way those colours create a consistency though the film, that’s all down to great editing.
I think the film definitely has crossover appeal, and also you can’t just make a film about music, it’s got to have more to it than that.
Plus with that level of access it can become more than just another music documentary. We were so fortunate to get that level of access to Gary, it was incredible, and at times I was like “why is he doing this? This is so open”, I’ve never seen anything like it before. I’ve watched a lot of music documentaries, so we knew we were experiencing a level of openness that was going to make the film very powerful. And I think the reason for that is because Gary wanted to get his story across you know? He obviously trusted us, felt safe and felt comfortable with me and the camera. He was going through these themes and writing about these themes for the album Splinter and dealing with them, I think, for the first time – his ideas of depression on ‘Here in the Black’ and the songs about Gemma – he’s getting his head around that stuff, all while were there filming him. So because of that it’s all very honest and very revealing and candid. That’s why its so raw.
How much of an idea did you have going into this about the look of the film? Because
And those gig scenes were still incredibly intimate. Yeah, and it was really good fun to film that, because I was basically on stage with the band. By the second gig they trusted me to go anywhere and sometimes I would go on to the stage first to get shots of the crowd chanting “Numan, Numan!”, and really the crowd very much became part of the film too.
What was it like interacting with such a passionate, enthusiastic a fan base like Gary’s? We were very conscious about getting
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 33
DD NUMAN GARY singing Cars at me! It’s more than just that!” Let me know how that goes! I’d be interested to find out! I think it’s going to get a lot of people in to Gary’s music, certainly into Splinter, which is a brilliant album and personally I think it is his best album, and I know a lot of people will disagree with that! But for me it’s my favourite, no doubt about it. And the music in the film is primarily from Splinter too. I know in the film Gary talks about wanting to get into writing music for film, and although Splinter wasn’t written for film, it’s so appropriate. It’s just another sign that Gary’s musical pallet is made for a potential move into film composition.
the fans in from both sides of the Atlantic. In fact we wanted to get more of them in. We did quite a few fan Q&A’s but there was so much stuff that didn’t make the cut, but the fans were great. Their dedication to Gary is second to none. And they’ve been really supportive of us actually. We’ve had a facebook page from day one and the (early) trailer we cut somehow got out on to youtube so the fans knew about it pretty early on. They’ve been following us and going to screenings and enjoying the film. They’ve dedicated their lives to Gary and we seem to be getting some of that love as well.
You hit the film festival circuit in the U.S, including a screening at SXSW. Did you get a lot of Numan fans showing up? SXSW was the first one we went to and it got some nice reviews but the people that were going there were
34 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
film fans - there for the film festival. For the fans side of it, there weren’t many at SXSW but certainly by Hot Docs festival in Toronto there were more fans - half were fans, maybe, and half were just there for the festival. But it was really great to bring it back to the UK too, doing the European premier at the Edinburgh Film Festival and the East End Film Festival as well - because there’s a lot of fans who were quite frustrated that we were out in the U.S. first – but at those U.K screenings they were queued out of the door. We’ve also sold out a few showings for the cinematic run as well. So yeah, word is out which is great, but it would be nice to cross over and get non-fans checking it out, cause it’s a film for everyone really. I can think of a few people who need to see this film. People who have given me shit for years for being a Gary Numan fan. I want to take them and say “watch this!” and “stop
It was great for us to hear the tracks for the first time – I’m a big electronic music fan – and being quite relieved to hear how good they were, because we had no idea if the album would be any good or not. The first time I heard ‘I Am Dust’ I remember thinking “he’s bang on form here”. Fortunately for us and for Gary it was a great album and it did well – his biggest selling album for 30 years.
And at one point it was nearly all lost due to a broken hard drive. Then Gemma comes to the rescue with a soldering iron! Yeah, while the kids are walking around with their ice lollies as well trying to help!
Did Gemma happen to help fix any of your equipment too along the way? I don’t know about that. We looked after our own gear I think (laughs). She would make us dinner every now and again though. But she was good
fun. We spent a lot of time with her and got on really well – we still talk to each other.
I suppose spending such a long time with someone and their family, it’s hard not to make some lasting connection. Well, I definitely immersed myself in to Gary Numan’s world and it sort of took over my head for a while. I was having Gary Numan dreams, a different one every night. It took a while to get over. Because we just got so embedded in his and his family’s world. But it was a good experience, and so rewarding now, hearing people saying good things about it.
And have you spoken to Gary recently? I actually met them a couple of months ago when I was in LA, we went out for lunch. But very recently Gary’s Mum died.
And that makes certain scenes in the film harder to watch, like that moment when he’s talking about the big falling out with his Mum and Dad – he cries, and it’s absolutely heart breaking considering the recent news. At time it was really heavy, but at the same time as a film maker you’re thinking - “this is great, this is great cinema”. But he just came out with it, we didn’t even know about it, we didn’t know they had fallen out. Gemma had mentioned it, but we thought he wouldn’t want to talk about it. After suggesting it he just opened up, and then obviously broke down. After he said - “I can’t believe that that happened, breaking down and crying. That’s never happened before”. I just think he had so much weight on him that it was such a
relief for him to finally get stuff off his chest. But not long after that we were in the studio and he’s talking me through his writing technique. He can switch, and within maybe 20 minutes he’s gone from being in the chair crying to being in the studio showing me his quite unique way of constructing songs.
“HIS DOG’S GOT SOME GREAT COMIC TIMING!”
That scene where he’s demonstrating his writing process was a special moment, especially for fans.
And has Gary seen the film?
Yeah, for fans it’ll be a massive eye opener because I don’t think anyone will have seen that before, well I know they haven’t. He’s never talked about it. So yeah, that scene is very revealing, hugely interesting moment, cause he’s not just any old star, he’s a very important, influential artist that is still doing great work.
For a first feature documentary, having a subject like Gary Numan, did you ever feel that weight of expectation? Me and Rob always thought we were making a good film, because of the access we were getting. It’s all about trust and access. The more trust you get, the more access you get, and we were shown a lot of trust, almost from day one really. Although Gemma initially was really really nervous about the whole thing. In fact when we first met she just bust in to tears. I had to walk her around the garden just to calm her down a little bit and let her know I’m actually alright (laughs). So she was literally in tears, but obviously a natural in the film, and everyone loves her. I’m so glad she comes out as strong as she does.
So you’re going to start a second career as a therapist now do you reckon?
you can get Gary opening up like that maybe I’ve got a hidden talent.
Yeah, yeah, he’s seen various cuts of it.
It must have been good to have a subject so supportive of what you were doing. I’m not going to say he loves the film. There are some bits he loves and some bits he hates – because it’s so revealing, so raw. Of course it’s going to be hard to watch for him. I mean, at SXSW the screen was huge, Marble Arch Odeon size, and Gary’s face is huge on the screen. So yeah, must be tough to watch. Plus his delivery is so honest – when he’s talking about the song ‘Lost’ which he wrote about Gemma, or when he’s talking about his depression – because that delivery wasn’t as polished as it ended up being, when he was doing press for Splinter, he’s going to have issues with that. From our perspective though it’s much better when it’s not polished, when it is raw. But people love him anyway, that’s the main thing! After 85 minutes of it, people love the guy, and those people may not have known him before, or even disliked him before, or had those preconceptions. And it is a good point about those preconceptions, or misconceptions about Gary, and hopefully we address quite a few of those.
Yeah, I could do I think. Certainly, if
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 35
Stranger Things
winona
Ryder
wanted her hair to look like meryl streep’s in silkwood
set
83)
Photos: Netflix
in
(both
Stranger L Things...
et me get in the long, long line to gush about the brilliance of this show. A large part of said brilliance comes down to the gifted batch of child actors whose genuine chemistry is a delight to watch. They have such a passionate rapport. Indeed, friendships cultivated at such an age seem far more intense and vastly more excitable than at any other. And that’s largely because they are. In the bittersweet words of Gordie Lachance in Stand by Me, “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 37
Stranger Things
The
kids read
scenes from
By Me
Stand
at their
auditions
And thank God these characters – namely Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) – bounce off each other so naturally and transcend their archetypes. Of course, let’s not forget about Will (Noah Schnapp) here, abducted in a legitimately scary sequence – I got that kind of numbing fright when the monster is briefly shown, much like the one I experienced in Signs when the alien briefly graces the jerky footage – in the first episode. We see only how resourceful Will is here, how clever and strangely kid-like it is of him to grasp the terrifying situation and leave his bike (as Chief Hopper sagely observes, the kids’ bikes are the equivalent of Cadillacs) to run home, try to get help, and then run to the shed to shakily load a gun. Then the shed light shines wince-bright and Will is gone, vanished.
If you have yet to watch the eight episodes, then stop reading right now,
26 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016 38 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
because major spoilers abound. Also, if you haven’t watched all the episodes, then you really shouldn’t be reading about the show at all, especially with all the attention it’s getting. This is simply to be on the safe side. Stranger Things flaunts its influences, parades them, boldly and proudly. Just watch the seriously cool and commendably short title sequence, with the vintage Stephen King font (one cursory look at my bookshelf is all I need) demanding your attention. And the music here is basically a rip-off of Cliff Martinez’s track “Wanna Fight” in Only God Forgives. Does that make the title sequence less cool? Absolutely not. Yes, it’s a ’80s stew: an intoxicating blend of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Stephen King, A Nightmare on Elm Street, a dollop of John Hughes, and so on. This would be a problem in more dubious talents than the Duffer Brothers, who show no reluctance in immersing themselves in a period they clearly
adore, and of course the pop-culture they grew up with. This means that you see posters of The Thing and you watch characters watch The Thing. Stephen King is name-dropped and yet it doesn’t come across as an insufferably knowing wink to the audience. You hear betrayals of Lando. You get quasi-Hughes High School scenes that fall a little flat. You watch eerily prescient games of Dungeons & Dragons. The point is that the Duffer Bros, while occasionally lurching from organic homage to inferior imitation, have carefully and lovingly constructed a world that is quite a bit more than the sum of its parts. Plus it’s not just exclusively ’80s references: The X-Files, Silent Hill and Under The Skin have more than a casual resonance. Stranger Things feels like an eightepisode movie. Indeed, the enjoyment of binge-watching it comes from seeing certain characters change in the course of one sitting. First, there’s Nancy (Natalia Dyer): at the start she’s this little buttercup, fretting about her grades
and pining after Steve (Joe Keery), a douchebag with advertisement-luxuriant hair and a generally cosy-seeming life. Then, after a pool party at Steve’s, with poor Barb (Shannon Purser) unwisely – yet unknowingly – letting her blood attract the Demogorgon, resulting in a grim struggle for her life that ends as it should given that she’s stuck in an empty pool without any weapon in the Upside Down, Nancy starts to realise that something is very, very wrong. The episodes take their time fleshing Nancy out, and it is a treat to see her concern about Barb manifest itself in action. When she’s with Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), who’s got that neverquite-opens-his-eyes quality that The Walking Dead’s Daryl possesses, it’s cool seeing her determination, which is merely converted to fear for a night after her brief but terrifying affair in the Upisde Down. She was not only out of her element, but out of her dimension. And she becomes even more of a badass because of that. And second, Steve. What a welcome
It's a eightys stew: an intoxicating blend of Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Stephen King, A Nightmare on Elm Street, a dollop of John Hughes SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 39
Stranger Things arc he had. It was a nice touch giving him a conscience and a few facets. When he’s beaten up by Jonathan – Steve, though in the heat of conflict, says some truly contemptible things that absolutely warranted that beating – I was seeing the worst: the bully with the bruised ego assembling the goons, the bystander girl watching the subsequent beating of Jonathan, etc. What a great little moment it was, then, to see him offering to help clean up his mess at the cinema, after becoming a little voyeuristic himself when he creeps on Jonathan comforting Nancy in her bedroom. What an even greater moment it was to see him barge into Jonathan’s abode, witness some truly out-there shit, react appropriately, run away briefly, and then return to bring the ruckus to that Demogorgon. I was completely surprised and by the end, when Nancy gets back with Steve, I was glad. Prediction: Jonathan will get with her, though. He can’t get Will back and have Nancy in one season. What, then, about the next season? Is Eleven still alive? It wouldn’t be a great stretch to say yes, she is alive, in some form at least. One hopes so, because Millie Bobby Brown manages the monumental task of becoming something more than her gifts. And this is largely because she can do pretty much anything with just her eyes – so much range and nuance is communicated, often with just a look. The unfortunate tendency with these kids with gifts is that the gifts they possess dominate their characters, suppress them to the point where they’re too elusive and opaque to truly care about because they’re essentially just a vehicle for whatever gifts they possess (e.g., Midnight Special). Then again, Millie Bobby Brown has had the luxury of time. Her powers are revealed slowly, subtly. She is fleshed out in traumatic flashbacks with the corpse-like Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) and his ludicrously full head of villain hair. When she makes peace with Lucas, she, in that moment, becomes someone I truly care about. And it only gets better from there. For example, when she is comforted by Joyce (the glorious Winona Ryder) in the make-shift sensory-deprivation pool – shout out to Dustin, who refuses to budge from this door of curiosity, and the coolest teacher around, Mr. Clarke (Randall P. Havens), who graciously keeps it open – it is genuinely heartwarming because Joyce can be caring, loving and maternal. It is one of the show’s great moments, seeing Joyce share the screen with El. And when Hopper leaves those Eggos in the storage box, it’s the perfect tease for more of her character and her gifts. And Will. That scene in the bathroom, with that gloopy sluggish thing that slithers down the sinkhole, and the flash of that grim and all-too-close dimension, is also a
26 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016 40
great tease. Clearly Will will be quite a troubled soul after spending the guts of a week in the Upside Down. Although he’s pretty adept at concealing his fear: in that final shot he’s back to his beaming, excitable self at the dinner table. How he conceals if from his friends is another matter. Also, it will be interesting merely seeing more of Will with the gang, because the first season is all about getting him back. He is largely beyond the first season, a plot device we see in aching fits and starts – and the hammy flashback with the Poltergeist tickets. And yet despite this, I was smiling dumbly when Mike, Dustin and Lucas plunged into his hospital room and showered him with love and pure joy. But what about the bearish Chief Hopper? He has skills beyond his title. There is perhaps quite a shady past in his former Big City life. And he is seen getting into that black car to collude with the gloomy people with impassive faces. And yet he is seen delivering those Eggos, El’s snack. And the hatched egg he discovers in the Upside Down! There is ample teasing room here. Oh yeah, and Barb. She’s obviously dead. However, not everyone knows. Yawn. Look, this obsession with Barb reveals far more about your own personal issues with men than it does about any supposed sexism on the Duffers’ part. Barb is essentially a redshirt who’s fleshed out a bit and then swiftly dealt with. More importantly, the show is about finding Will and this means we get perspectives from the people in his orbit only, so the fact that Barb is little more than an afterthought reflects this. As a whole, Stranger Things is superb. When the lens is brought closer, though, it becomes easier to see the problems: the thin characterisations of both sexes – e.g., the dads are either opportunistic deadbeats or lifeless shells. Also, the tropes are occasionally a little too on-thenose to really work – El’s discovery of TV and the like kind of distract me because I’m just thinking that Spielberg did this stuff better. Then again, that’s a matter of my own personal taste in this respect – incidentally, imagine the show being watched by someone who isn’t tropeaware, who can’t attribute a pop-culture reference to every single scene. For me, most of the pop-culture resonances enrich the show, rather than stifle it. They act as a kind of scaffolding. Ultimately, the Duffer Brothers have made Stranger Things with ample generosity, care, and attention. They have also made one of the coolest shows ever. Bring on season 2. Stranger Things is on Netflix now
The Duffer Bros told Millie to “Have the mind frame of
Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road” after she had feelings of anxiousness at the thought of shaving her head.
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 41
Words: Josh Langrish
THE BEATLES
50
42 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
t was 1966;
song ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird
melancholy of quaint English
the world
Has Flown)’ on Rubber Soul, fully
church villages, death, and
was a-buzz
immersed himself in the world
loneliness, conveyed through the
with music
of Indian music – specifically in
stabbing, cello-filled orchestration
that caused
the music of Ravi Shankar. All of
of producer George Martin,
adults to tut,
these factors were necessary in
sounding reminiscent of the main
hippies smoking trees, dancing
order to produce arguably the best
theme from Alfred Hitchcock’s
VW campervans, and love that
Beatles album – and therefore
‘Psycho’. The song is utterly
required no financial transactions.
album in general – of all time;
captivating; dotted with surreal
After The Beatles’ Icarus-esque
Revolver.
but haunting imagery, with lines
I
flight near the sun in which -
like: “Waits at the window/
against tradition - their waxy
The are many reasons as to why
wearing the face that she keeps in
wings didn’t melt but remained
Revolver is seen as The Beatles
a jar by the door/ Who is it for?”
cool and sturdy despite the band
most important album.
and “Father McKenzie, writing the
comfortably landing on the Sun’s
words of a sermon that no one
hot plasma surface, The Beatles
It was the first dramatic change
will hear/ No one comes near”.
found themselves tired and weary
in their sound. Whilst one could
However, this is counteracted
after years of non-stop touring
cite large developments in the
in the album by the infectious,
around the world to millions of
complexity and diversity of The
McCartney-esque optimism of
screaming fans.
Beatles’ sound and lyrics with
bouncy jaunt ‘Good Day Sunshine’
their previous record Rubber
and ridiculously catchy crowd-
They had just finished a tour of
Soul – which was certainly a
pleaser ‘Yellow Submarine’.
the UK which, luckily for them,
turning point – that explored love
was rather short when compared
seen through a la vie en rose
Secondly, it can be safely asserted
to their previous tours, and
perspective but with a folkish hue,
that Revolver was The Beatles
were given three months off; the
and even find hints of it in Help!
first proper foray into psychedelic
longest amount of free time they
with Dylan-esque songs (‘Help!’,
music; a genre that they would
had been granted since the early
‘You’ve Got to Hide Your Love
determine a third of their musical
mop-top days of ’62. This gave
Away’, etc) about isolation, loss
output, with the future releases
The Beatles the opportunity to
and desperation – albeit delivered
of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts
expand their knowledge, their
with a sugar coating using catchy
Club Band, Magical Mystery
influences, and their minds. John
riffs and upbeat melodies. But in
Tour and portions of The White
Lennon was delving deep into
regards to Revolver however, their
Album; expanding upon this sound
Aldous Huxley, Timothy Leary
music is barely recognisable when
to the Nth degree. Whilst The
and psychedelic texts about “the
compared to the innocent, pop,
Beatles couldn’t help but drop the
self” and “the ego” - albeit whilst
simplistic 2-and-a-bit minute hits
occasional drug reference in their
consuming an ungodly amount
of Beatlemania, with a dramatic
earlier, more innocent songs like
of LSD. McCartney – the more
change in sound comparable
‘Day Tripper’ or ‘She’s a Woman’,
stable and sensible one of the
probably to Radiohead’s transition
or tried out whiffs of psychedelic,
writing duo – explored the likes of
from ‘OK Computer’ to ‘Kid A’.
experimental effects, such as the
ahead-of-the-curve experimental
guitar feedback intro of ‘Ticket
musicians John Cage, and
The track ‘Eleanor Rigby’ for
to Ride’, Revolver is an all-out
Karlheinz Stockhausen, as well as
example is a Bernard Herrmann
assault; utilising never-before-
Classical music. George Harrison,
influenced, classical, baroque
used studio techniques in order
after dabbling with the sitar in the
number about the existential
to create a completely unique
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 43
sound. (Interestingly, Bob Dylan
album, with the psychedelic
McCartney includes two of
- who introduced The Beatles to
tour de force ‘Tomorrow
arguably his greatest – but most
marijuana in 1964 at a party -
Never Knows’. A Lennon piece
underrated – songs, with ‘Here,
was surprised to find that they
inspired by LSD-guidance
There and Everywhere’ and ‘For
had no experience with the drug,
tome ‘The Tibetan Book
No One’. Always overlooked by
having assumed that they did
of the Dead’ played in its
the public in favour of ‘Let it be’
based on mishearing the lyric ‘I
entirety in the chord of C,
or ‘The Long and Winding Road’,
can’t hide’ as ‘I get high’ from
‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ is a
‘Here, There and Everywhere’ is
their 1963 hit ‘I Want to Hold
soundscape, comprised of the
a mesmerising lullaby dedicated
Your Hand’. The drug reference
hypnotic drumming of Ringo
to love, with a lyrical rhythm and
in McCartney’s ‘She’s a Woman’
Starr, trance-inducing bass-
melody that rivals The Beach
(‘Turn me on when I get lonely’)
drone, random tape loops of
Boys’ ‘God Only Knows’ (of
was added at the behest of
orchestra, laughing, mellotron,
which McCartney is a huge fan).
Lennon in order to give Dylan
flutes and sitar – all spliced
Always cited by McCartney as
a “real” drug reference for him
together by McCartney in a
the favourite of his own songs,
find).
musique concrète fashion. This
Lennon too said in a number of
is the song one refers to when
interviews that he considered it
The drug-induced haziness of
confronted with someone who
the best of his musical partner’s
the Lennon written song ‘I’m
dismisses The Beatles, claiming
work. This is then balanced with
Only Sleeping’, for example, was
that their sound could be
the longing sadness and regret
the first ever use of backwards
reduced down to ‘Hey Jude’ and
of ‘For No One’; a nostalgic
guitar on a record. The idea of
‘Yesterday’.
piano-plodding waltz about the
reversing sounds, vocals and
Furthermore, Revolver contains
end of a relationship that, as
instruments was discovered by
three song contributions from
the song says, “should have
accident when Lennon, suitably
George Harrison; his previous
lasted years”.
tired and stoned from a long
contributions being limited to
recording session that day, put
one or two songs per album
Revolver is a masterpiece that,
the tape of that day’s musical
(although not for lack of trying).
although reaching its 50th
output into the tape recorder
His first contribution, ‘Taxman’,
anniversary today, has ripples
backwards. After sitting there,
is the album’s opener; a real
caused by its initial splash that
transfixed for a few moments
rock and roll head-banger
can be found in music still. With
by these alien sounds, Lennon
about Harrison’s dissatisfaction
the resurgence of psychedelic
ran into the studio the next day
with Harold Wilson’s supertax.
music in recent years with
shouting “LISTEN TO THIS!”.
Also written by Harrison is the
bands such as Tame Impala
This, combined with the sonic
heavily Indian inspired ditty
(with lead singer Kevin Parker
droning of the sped-up and
‘Love You Too’ which, many
sounding like circa 1966-68
slowed-down tracks, creates
critics agree, fits in better in
Lennon, back from the grave),
a layered, mood-enhancing
Revolver than Harrison’s other
Temples, Unknown Mortal
feel utterly conducive to self-
Indian contribution in Sgt.
Orchestra, Triptides and Foxygen
reflection and the nature of
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club
to name but a few, the influence
perception – further explored
Band with the song ‘Within You,
of Revolver and The Beatles in
in the album’s accompanying
Without You’.
general is alive and well - but
B-side ‘Rain’.
still unequalled. In fact, I might If Lennon is the master of
just listen to Revolver all over
The epitome of this sound is
lyrics, McCartney is certainly
again right now…
found on the last track of the
the master of melody.
44 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
JUNGLE BOOK
n h o J y e n b De I S N E Y, D D E T A N I M O N R A C S O OF THE N O I S S A P E H T D N A L M A RV E CHRIST COMPOSER
“I LOVE SKRILLEX AND DAVID GUETTA”
A
merican composer JOHN DEBNEY has penned the scores for an almost endless list of soundtracks over the last quarter of a century. From Disney and Marvel, to his Oscar nominated The Passion of the Christ soundtrack, Debney has created a soundscape that few others can hold a candle to.
We were very lucky to catch up with John after his recent trip to London to chat about The Jungle Book, his inspirations, as well as his love of Skrillex…
What first drew you to composing? It was a rather subconscious thing to be honest with you. I started as a young man playing guitar when I was about six years old and I kind of fell in love. I always loved music. I started playing at an early age and as time went on I got into bands… rock and roll bands and the like… and then when I got into college I really started focussing on music, and in my junior year at college I decided to make music my career. I got a degree in composition, got out of college and started working for other composers. So I guess you’d say for me, it was always that great love of music from a very young age, wherever that would have taken me. It could’ve taken me to many places, but it took me into film and television and I really enjoyed it! I’ve been very fortunate to have a lengthy career, and I still enjoy writing.
In all your years writing, do you have a favourite film that you’ve worked on? I would have to say, and this is not just me trying to publicise (laughs), I would have to say The Jungle Book. That’s my all-time favourite. My relationship with Jon Favreau; he’s a great guy, a really personable guy, and also because of my long personal relationship with Disney. The Emperor’s New Groove is one of my favourites too, because that one sort of fell in my lap and I literally had about three weeks to compose that. I met so
many wonderful people on that film who have become great friends since. So that was a really fun one because it’s really out of the box compared to the normal Disney fare. The journey on The Jungle Book though actually started with my father, who worked with Disney for forty years, and it ended with the great joy that is the new Jungle Book. So that really has to be my number one.
Obviously, it’s such an iconic original soundtrack, and you’ve weaved that beautifully into the new film. What were the challenges living up to that original film? It was a very daunting task as you can imagine! I’ve done this in a few films now, where I’ve had to embrace or reinterpret music from earlier movies, and I think that for me personally, it doesn’t serve the movie well if you try to ignore what work has come before. So on The Jungle Book, we knew inherently that we were going to quote some of the wonderful music. We had to. Jon knew that early on and communicated that to me, and I wholeheartedly agreed. How can you not? My job then became how to integrate these iconic pieces of music into a brand new interpretation. So I embarked upon the idea of trying to use these different pieces in rather new and unique ways. And so, what came out of it was an homage to the original, but also brand new music. I’m hoping we succeeded! I feel good about it!
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 47
JUNGLE BOOK
“THE JOB BECAME HOW TO INTEGRATE THESE ICONIC PIECES OF MUSIC INTO A BRAND NEW INTERPRETATION”
08 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 48 MARCH 20162016
“THE BEST SITUATION IS
You’ve done so many different films, from horror to Disney… How do you manage to keep things original and fresh between all these different genres?
Do directors often have an idea of what the film should sound like? Do they ever just say “No, that’s not what we want at all!”?
I think it’s the way my brain works! I’ve noticed from years of doing this that I work best when I’ve got two or three things that I’m doing simultaneously. I like to multitask, to do different things at the same time. Let’s say I’m doing a dramatic show, and then I’m doing a comedy at the same time… That helps me. It helps me to wear these different hats and clear my head. Perhaps other composers don’t like to do that, but for some reason I do. I guess it’s served me well, because it does help me to divorce myself from one thing and then jump into another thing. We’re all wired differently, and I think that’s just the way I’m wired. Let’s put it that way!
Well, the best situation is when the director comes in and tells you he doesn’t like it! If they can express to you why they don’t, I think that’s critical. I’ve had the experience before where a director has come in and they don’t like something, but they’re not sure why. That’s hard. That’s very difficult because it’s like telling you that you don’t like blue, but you don’t know why you don’t like blue. That’s tough! Not a filmmaker’s fault; they just may have a difficulty in expressing it. Then it becomes a composer’s job to try to interpret it and try to find out the why and maybe go in a different direction.
If you could score any movie, past, present or future, what would be your dream job? That’s a tough one because I have been so fortunate to do so many types of movie. I remember a number of years ago, I was sort of hoping and praying for some kind of dramatic movie that I could really sink my teeth into. And then, lo and behold, The Passion of the Christ came onto my plate. Since then, I’ve done so many different films that I honestly don’t have in my mind right now something that I haven’t done that I’d love to do. I’m not unfulfilled in that regard. I love working with directors who have a vision, and yet they let you explore. So for me right now, it’s all about the filmmaker and their spirit of collaboration.
WHEN A DIRECTOR TELLS YOU HE
DOESN’T LIKE IT”
Can we expect more work with Disney in the future? I certainly hope so! I’ve just been over in London working with Disney on a big attraction. There’s a new ride that’s going to come over to Hong Kong Disneyland which is the Ironman ride. It’s like Star Tours; it’s a big simulator and it was just lovely. We’ve been at Abbey Road for four days and it was a lot of fun! There’s also been talk of a Jungle Book 2, and I’m hopeful that John will want me back if he so desires. To be frank though, I haven’t had a real break in four or five years now, so I’m gonna take a month or so off and kind of look at what’s out there and see what’s next. It’s a lovely place for me to be right now, and I hope there will be a lot of fun things coming in the future.
When you say “looking at what else is out there”, who are your contemporaries that you admire? Oh! I love so many! I’ve always hesitated mentioning names, because if I forget someone they may be hurt. There are so many wonderful composers out there. I have a great love for John Williams, as we all do. Star Wars is always high on my list. I have a great affection for Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. I have a really great love for James Horner, who we so tragically lost. There are just a lot of them. Alan Silvestri…. Jerry Goldsmith… They’re all my favourite!
And do you listen to much in the way of contemporary music? I listen to so much! I love Echosmith. I love listening to whatever Trent Reznor’s putting out these days. I’m a big electronic fan; Skrillex and David Guetta. All those guys! I’m very eclectic. I like to mix it up and listen to all kinds of stuff. It fuels my imagination. That’s why I try to listen to as much different music as I can to try and educate myself! The Jungle Book is out on Blu-ray and DVD from 22nd August
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 49
DD NORMA JEAN
Words: Dan Whitey
A
fter months on the road and in the air as part of their recent Summer European tour, Norma Jean vocalist Cory Brandan is back home in Arkansas, and he’s just received some bad news. Luckily for us it’s not too serious and he’s more than happy to talk. Which is good, because it’s been a busy year, or so, for the metal-core band. After last year’s 10th anniversary tour of breakthrough album O God, the Aftermath, the departure of founding member Chris Day and their return to Solid State Records, they’re just about to release their 7th studio album, Polar Similar.
What’s it like to be getting some rest back at home after a pretty intense tour so far?
NORMA JEAN’s Cory
Brandan
It’s awesome. It’s always amazing to come back from a long tour especially when you’ve been so far away and it’s been hard to communicate. I guess the only bummer is that I found out I have strep throat today! I think I got it from that tour because I was feeling kinda sick and then I came home and felt terrible.
Can you pin-point where on the tour you might have picked it up? My best guess is gonna be Dublin, because our backstage room was literally inside of a walk-in cooler. Like, where they keep the kegs. And they said “oh yeah, come in this way!” and we walked in to this walk-in cooler with kegs everywhere and they said “here you go guys!”, and it was freezing cold so there was no way that was good for me, no way (laughs).
Looking at the places you did play, especially in the UK, there was a lot of smaller, intimate and packed out venues like The Anvil, Bournemouth. Yeah, we had a blast that night (in Bournemouth), that was a lot of fun. At first it was a little sterile but by the end of the set
50 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
everyone was jumping up and down and hanging upside down from stuff, it got roudy! And those shows are always a blast, packed in small capacity rooms.
New album Polar Similar is out pretty soon, it’s your 6th with Norma Jean and last year you celebrated 10 years since the release of O God, the Aftermath. Does it really seem like 10 years you’ve been doing this? It’s actually been nearly 13 cause I joined in early 2004, but no, it doesn’t really. It’s kind of strange because when I joined time just sped up, and before I knew it it was 2006. I think one of the reasons that happens is usually in a band you know exactly what you’re doing months in advance, so you kind of get in this timeline of scheduling and budgeting for things in the future. You’re always looking forward to this thing that’s gonna happen. I mean, I know what we’re doing in March of next year, so when that comes it’ll be like - “oh yeah! I remember us talking about this months ago” and suddenly it’s a whole new year. So time moves super fast.
And talking of moving fast, last year you did the O God, the Aftermath 10th anniversary tour, and then straight off the back of that you announced you had moved back to Solid State Records and announced this new album. Do you see that tour as a ‘bookend’ to the first 10 years? Yeah, for sure, it definitely seems strange looking back on it. There was kind of a nostalgic thing to it as well but that tour was so
much fun. We hit all the cities of old members that were on that record and they all came out for the shows, and of course we’re all still great friends. One thing I always tell people is that I feel like Norma Jean is more of a collective than a band.
You’ve been through quite a few members, and in the past year guitarist Chris Day, the last founding member of Norma Jean, left the band. But with Norma Jean things always just seem to keep going. Yeah, and like I said all those past members came out (on the tour) and even they felt this nostalgic thing. And the thing about Norma Jean is we’ve never applied to the ‘boy band’ structure of being musicians like - “here’s a set of faces that goes with this music”, no! We don’t really know what a band is, we just know we want to write music with our friends. It’s always been - “hey, do you like the sound that we’re making or not?”, so it’s kind of irrelevant who’s in the band if you think about it like that. That idea of person worship of people in a band is kind of an old idea, whereas for us it’s about the music first.
And is that something that everyone buys into when they join Norma Jean, the fact that this is all about the band and not individuals? Yes, absolutely and it’s something we talk about all the time. We always try to fill the spots in the band with someone who gets that, someone who’s like minded in a way. That’s always been the goal. It’s never
“I guess the only bummer is that I found out I have strep throat today!” been - “hey let’s get the guy who’s technically the best guitar player we know”, no, I would definitely rather have a guy who maybe couldn’t play guitar as well but musically he stands out in a way which fits with what Norma Jean does. Someone with a passionate drive and that emotional connection to the music rather than just technical ability.
And that recruiting process obviously works and has an effect on the music, because time after time and album after album you guys come out a step above. I’m not going to lie, it’s hard to lose a member. When someone leaves a band, you have a chemistry with that person, especially as a songwriter, you know what to expect from them, and they from you. But it’s also good to start over with someone and it’s kind of refreshing in a way, so there’s kind of a weird balance to it. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of finding the right people to come in, but at the end of the day we can’t just expect people to want to be in a smelly van with 4 other dudes for
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 51
DD NORMA JEAN
their entire life (laughs). So people sometimes want to move on and do other things, have families and we have to allow them to do that as well as continuing to do what we do. So we just try to keep that going, keep it alive.
You seem to have a good idea of what works because you’ve just re-signed to Solid State Records, how did that come about? It really comes down to people. When you’re signing to a label, and this is advice any band should take on, you’re not just looking at a piece of paper and who gives you the best deal, you look at the people behind it. It’s like that team of people are joining the band and doing the business work for you, so that team is invaluable. The people Solid State have there right now are really aggressive and passionate about what we’re doing. Just to see that excitement was appealing to us, so it was kind of a no brainer.
You’ve dropped a few tracks from your new album
Polar Similar so far, including ‘Synthetic Sun’, ‘Forever Hurtling Towards Andromeda’ and the track ‘1,000,000 Watts’, and on that track, I’ve got to say wow, that riff! Yeah, that riff! When we start writing we’re just like - “hey, what have you got? What have you got? What have you got?” and we sit around showing each other riffs and playing guitar, and I had actually written that riff during Wrong Doers and it wasn’t completed yet, so it was 3 or 4 years old. I showed it to John (Finnegan, Bass) and he said - “that’s the one!”, and then we started building off that and it became ‘1,000,000 Watts’. It was actually one of the earlier songs that was written for the record.
So are we getting a good insight into the album with the aggression of ‘1,000,000 Watts’ and the technical work on ‘Synthetic Sun’? There’s a few other things we do, but that’s kind of what we’re going for. The record has a very haunting atmosphere to it and that all comes from the studio we recorded at - Pachyderm Studio. It’s a really old, huge, rickety kind of place and we really utilised the size of it, the echoes and all the reverb you hear and the haunted, creaky feel is really just natural. So once we got to the studio we fashioned the record to fit that vibe.
“I’m not going to lie. It’s hard to lose a member” 52 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
That atmosphere more that comes through, especially on moments like track five, ‘II The People’. That’s a freaky track!
“The record has a very haunting atmo sphere, the haunted creaky feel is so natural”
(Laughs) Ok, yeah that track freaked us out and it happened by accident while we were there. It was pretty late at night, and there’s this pool room in the house, a really echoey room. We had mics in there permanently and the studio connected to it so we could track there all the time, and Jeff (Hinkly, Lead Guitar) had gone in there that night, just making up stuff, riffing a little bit, and Goose (Clayton “Goose” Holyoak, Drums) heard this tone in it and it reminded him of the sound of these Numbers Station things from the cold war which put out messages and can be picked up on short wave radios, and I still don’t think anyone really knows what they mean, but it’s this really creepy thing. So we got it (sound of the Numbers Station) and kind of threw it up against the mics. We didn’t even try and place it and that’s what you hear. We didn’t change it at all since that moment. We finished it right there and then. It was done! Just a really weird and creepy thing that happened by accident.
And it’s an atmosphere that permeates throughout the album. There’s a definite focus on the emotional, natural side - it doesn’t feel ‘over worked’. Was that
your perception of the recording process? I think we wanted to get some of that aggressive feel out for sure, so that’s in there, in the technical way, and once we got to the studio we were able to focus in on the emotional aspect, the atmosphere and intention behind the songs. Working on matching the emotion and content in the lyrics with the song so they work together. It’s a really cool way to record an album rather than just going in and saying ‘okay, good tone, press play, cut everything on the computer and we’re done’. Here, everything was very natural with all the acoustic sounds and we really just tried to find that emotional attachment to the song to make sure the record flowed in that kind of way.
As a band Norma Jean have never been afraid to evolve, be it member changes, sound changes. What would you say was the most prominent change since the release of Wrong Doers in 2013? SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 53
DD NORMA JEAN Wrong Doers kind of was the evolution. We see that record as our transitional album into Polar Similar. Of course, at the time we were saying it was the best thing we’ve ever done. But if I were to look back even further I think The Anti Mother is a transitional record for Meridional, which I think is more what we were trying to do. So Wrong Doers was more of a searching record as well, into Polar Similar which is what we were reaching for and what we were trying to achieve. But like I said, it’s also down to chemistry because we had a lot of member changes before Wrong Doers, that’s where it all really happened. That’s where we were really fighting to stay alive. But for this record we now really know each other, and we’re going in the same direction, so the process happens much more naturally, without trying to figure out what the other guys are thinking all the time.
What about the name of the album, Polar Similar? Was that based on all these changes and transitions? Well we made it up, and I think if you google ‘Polar Similar’ you would only find this record, so that’s a cool thing, but it does have a history to it. Meridional had this weird name and this very strange story behind it which was kind of hard to explain, while Wrong Doers was the complete opposite - very simple name, simple explanation. For this record though, we wanted a little of both, a little complexity but easier to explain. With the word ‘polar’ I visualise the Earth’s two poles and the way they’re still connected, the unseen element to it, which I think reflects the world climate right now. A lot of people are pointing fingers at each other, pointing out all of our differences, but if we were to look inside ourselves, we would find way more similarities. Those poles may be opposites, but they’re at least similar, in a lot of ways. I like that idea. We don’t have to be the same, think the same, look the
26 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016 54
The music is therapeutic to us and we’ve seen it be therapeutic to others same but there’s something connecting us.
On that point of how turbulent things are all over the world right now, it’s a good time for a Norma Jean record to come out! To get some positive, emotional connection going. If you ask anyone about Norma Jean I know they would say the same thing about us - we look for that more emotional connection rather than the technical connection. We have a looser feel, and we don’t play everything perfectly, we’re feeding off the energy coming out. Which is important, otherwise you just sound like every other single record. If everybody played perfect, using the computer to fix everything, every band would sound exactly the same. So we just
make sure we sound like ‘us’ and when you hear the record you think - “oh that sounds like Norma Jean, that’s what they sound like”. And there is a positive thing behind it, and it might be messy and it might be nasty but we sing about our lives, past experiences, which have been equally nasty in a way. I think that we try to find a way to help each other out. We’ve always been like a family. Earlier I said “collective” but I do prefer the word family, it’s just a bit overused and people often don’t understand what I mean by it, so maybe “collective” makes more sense.
There’s a therapy in there then? A cathartic outlet. Yeah, the music is therapeutic to us and we’ve seen it be therapeutic to others too, in the fanbase, and that’s the coolest thing that can happen. Once I experienced that for the first time being in Norma Jean I didn’t want to do anything else. Just knowing we’re going to write this song in a basement somewhere, with one lightbulb hanging down – you know most of our records were written in rooms with no windows and a lightbulb in the middle of the room – knowing we will write that song and reach somebody or touch somebody in a way and have them interpret that song, on their own without us telling them how to feel. They just sound it out on their own and that’s the coolest thing for us.
Your faith is an important part of your life, but do you consider Norma Jean a ‘Christian’ band, in the sense of its members and
collective beliefs? I don’t think we ever really have. We’ve had Christians in the band, throughout the history of the band, but it’s one of those things where I can’t speak for every single person in the band. They’re their own individuals, I can’t say - “everyone in this band is a Christian”, I don’t know what everybody really believes, that’s for them to say. It’s probably one of the bigger problems we have in the world - everybody wants to be this one big thing, whereas we tend to think more in terms of individuality. Also, musically we’re creating a sound, and a sound can’t have a belief. If I clap my hands, you can’t tell if it’s Christian or not, or evil, or good, or vegan or straight edge. It’s a sound. It can’t have a belief. Only the content can, and when it comes to that I am a Christian and if I’m writing about what I believe in I’m no different from any of my peers.
The Contemporary Christian Music scene, as massive as it is, does suffer from some ‘quality issues’. It’s terrible (laughs)
I think it’s coming from a good place but I’m not always too sure.
the Christian style of music”, that doesn’t exist! It’s like saying - “We’re a Christian band”, well what do you sound like? - “A Christian band”, and what is that!? Cause it’s not a sound. It’s so frustrating to me. I do belong to a church but I always skip the music part cause I can’t stand it. And I have no qualities for it anyway. Plus a lot of the time that ‘genre’ is written for Christians, and that’s fine, but I think for us we want to be kind of in the trenches, we want to play The Anvil in Bournemouth, we want to play the dirtiest bar in town, that’s where Norma Jean wants to be. Wherever strep throat is, that’s where we want to be! And that’s how it’s always been. We’ve never catered to the Christian industry, although Solid State has been a part of it, for sure, but it’s more coincidental that we’ve ended up with them because they know that some of us in the band have similar beliefs. But at the end of the day we don’t think ourselves any different from any other band out there. We are just trying to create great music that speaks to people, speaks to us and that we think is fun, because we do want to have fun. We want to write music with our friends, in a room that doesn’t have air conditioning in it. Polar Similar is out on September 9th via Solid State Records.
I don’t know! And it’s a frustrating kind of music for me because it is a ‘genre’, and I’m like - “well how do you know what music God wants you to write?”, no one knows that. You write the music you want to write and just do that because that’s what He wants you to do, not - “let’s write
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 09
Words: Andy Oates
Photos: © 2016 Legendary/Blizzard/ Universal Pictures
DD TO FILM GAME
D N A T F WARCRA F O E R U THE FUT S M L I F E M A G O E VID
56 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
D
uncan Jones’ film adaptation of the smashhit video game series, Warcraft, is due to hit home media this October. Warcraft represents what people believe is Hollywood putting their best foot forward with the video game adaptation genre, and what many believed to be the most vital film, along with the upcoming Assassin’s Creed, in finally breaking down the wall of mediocre to awful video game adaptations. Unfortunately, the reaction to Warcraft was a resounding “meh”, both critically and commercially, with the film only being saved from being one of the year’s biggest bombs by the incredible financial success it was greeted with in China, making up more than half of Warcraft’s worldwide gross.
However, the film had a lot going for it. The director, Duncan Jones, has released his previous work to critical acclaim. Warcraft has a humongous universe for Jones to cherry-pick from, so he shouldn’t have been too restrained with the story and characters. Regretfully, these elements do not come together in the final product though, with Warcraft being among the better video game adaptations but still one that does not manage to break away from mediocrity. With the future of the Warcraft film franchise in the year, and Assassin’s Creed gearing up for launch, it’s time to look to the future of the genre and consider whether video game to film adaptations will ever be successful.
ASSASSIN’S CREED 6th January 2017
Assassin’s Creed potentially has more
going for it than even Warcraft did. Justin Kurzel is coming off of his critically acclaimed Macbeth to direct it. The film stars the excellent Michael Fassbender in the lead role, and features an equally strong supporting cast with Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, and Brendan Gleeson joining him. The story concept of Assassin’s Creed lends itself well to the idea of a film adaptation, too. Multiple games within the series follow separate protagonists in different time periods. This almost anthology like structure the games have developed for themselves means that Assassin’s Creed can present itself as a new story that fits within the game’s existing universe whilst managing to avoid angering fans by adapting their favourite characters weakly. However, there are some warning signs too. Executive Producer Pat Crowley stated that approximately 65% of the game would be in the modern day, following Michael Fassbender’s
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 57
DD TO FILM GAME protagonist, and only 35% would focus on the events of his ancestor (also played by Fassbender) as an assassin. The idea of the story being based in the present with the assassin story being the tales of the protagonist’s ancestor is a storytelling model the game franchise has used since its inception, but players frequently criticize the present day segments as failing to be as interesting as the flashbacks, and doing little more than distracting them from the more interesting plot. There’s a potential chance that the film’s focus on the present could leave the same reception, with fans wanting to see more of the assassin in the past and less of the science fiction tale in the present. On the other hand, the trailer looked promising, and with a new look at the film being due anytime now, hopefully Assassin’s Creed continues to impress and serves as a strong catalyst for the future of the franchise and video game adaptations.
UNCHARTED 30th June 2017
YOU’D THINK THAT PROGRESSING WITH AN UNCHARTED MOVIE WOULD BE A SURE THING
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Uncharted is perhaps one of the most obvious choices for a film adaption. The games themselves already play extremely cinematically, with blockbuster moments that rival the biggest setpieces from the most expensive Hollywood films. The franchise has often been described as similar to Indiana Jones, and with that franchise being up in the air since 2008 (until Disney recently confirmed Indiana Jones 5), you’d think progressing with an Uncharted film to fill that hole would be a sure thing. Furthermore, the game is a Sony property, allowing the project to be fasttracked through Columbia Pictures. And finally, this year the fourth and apparent final game was released into the series, meaning that the brand can now survive in film. However, Uncharted has been in development since 2009, and very little traction has been made in that time. The film has had directors such as David O. Russell, and even a star in Mark
Wahlberg, who have both since dropped out. Currently, the film is slated to be released in ten months, but has only just added another screenwriter in the form of Joe Carnahan (writer of 2010’s The A-Team) to rewrite the latest draft. The film still does not have a director or cast named. It’s looking highly unlikely that the film will make that release date, and there’s not much to give hope that the adaptation could do any better even with a delayed release date.
TOMB RAIDER 16th March 2018
Lara Croft is no stranger to big screen adaptations, with two films starring Angelina Jolie already being released, but the latest Tomb Raider hopes to do the same for Lara that the recent acclaimed video game reboot did for her, and freshen her up for a modern audience. The film recently cast Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, which is definitely a promising sign. Roar Uthaug, who released The Wave this year to critical acclaim, is set to helm the project. It’s early days, and hard to say for sure, but Tomb Raider definitely has a strong foundation set for it with its strong director and leading lady, so hopefully the film manages to capitalize on this potential.
MINECRAFT 24th May 2019
Minecraft, being the furthest away from release, is obviously the project with the least amount of information. All that is really known is that the creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Rob McElhenney, is going to be the director. It’s curious as to how McElhenney plans to form a narrative around a game that hinges on the users creating their own experience, unless he plans on the film being similar in concept to The Lego Movie. We don’t have much information
on this so far, but besides McElhenney’s success with Always Sunny, there’s not much to really get excited for here.
WOULD A FILM OF THE LAST OF US WORK AS WELL AS THE GAME?
There are, of course, more video game films in development, with Sonic, Sly Cooper, and Metal Gear Solid being other properties that are undergoing adaptations, and with James Wan producing a Mortal Kombat reboot. However, all of those don’t have enough information to discuss, and are likely waiting to see how films such as Assassin’s Creed fare with the public before entering full scale production. There are enough blockbuster video game films to test the market in the meantime, but none that seem like they are guaranteed to be the grand slam hit that is needed to open the floodgates for the genre to succeed. With so many duds within the genre, however, the question must be asked whether or not that the video game format just cannot succeed when translated to film. Does the narrative style of a game where the player can explore elements of the story’s lore at great lengths simply not translate to film? Would a film of The Last of Us work as well as the game, when part of the success of the game was the player being able to explore the location around them and finding stories of survivors through items and notes left around the world? Perhaps the problem is that most games feature stories tailor made to allow gameplay to be a major focus of the game. This is clear when you compare something such as Batman: Arkham City to one of the films, such as Batman Begins. Batman Begins focuses as much on Bruce Wayne, if not more, than it does on Batman, and explores the duality of the character. I loved the story for Arkham City, but admittedly there
isn’t a lot within it that does not focus on the action of Batman fighting off the criminal underworld. The game’s story doesn’t get as deep with the character as a film could because it wouldn’t work well with the gameplay and would provide a poor experience for the player. A director of a film adaptation could change the story to work for a film, but then at what point would they just be angering fans by not adhering to the source material? It’s a reason that could also explain why films rarely have successful video game adaptations. A film’s story would rarely make for a perfect translation to a video game because it’s only two hours long and it would need to be stretched out to fit the video game format. Furthermore, any part of the story that does not work with a gameplay element would need to be reworked. Perhaps films and video games just do not work well together, and trying to adapt one to the other is a futile exercise. Alternatively, perhaps we’re just waiting for somebody to crack the perfect method to unite films and video games together in the future, potentially allowing video game films to become the next comic book films. The future of the genre is indeed uncertain and the directors of the upcoming adaptations do not have an easy task set upon them, but I am hopeful that one day we will see great video game films. Until then, it’s probably best to stick with the games. Warcraft is coming to DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and 4K Blu-ray on 10th October
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 59
Rogue one Rogue One
will
reportedly end
10
minutes before
Star Wars: A New Hope begins
Star Wars Rogue One Preview 60 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
Photos: Jonathan Olley © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd
Felicity Jones GOES intergalactic Come December, a small little film is released upon the world. It will undoubtedly rattle as many cages as last December’s cinema going experience. Whilst last year was foremost a sequel and a continuation of an on-going, exceptionally popular franchise, this year we have the first in an expected long line of potential spin-offs to further this galaxy of hidden adventures. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hits UK screens on December 16th, helmed by Monsters and Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards, providing a new vision for the franchise that, noticeable from the trailers alone, appears in a much darker vision. Whilst the film has been heavily under wraps from the get go, I think it’s been made all too frank that recurring cast members from the initial saga won’t be reprising -- I think those cameos will be saved for further sequels, like next years Episode VIII, directed by Looper’s Rian Johnson. So who’s taking front and centre with Rogue One? British actress Felicity Jones tackles one of the heftiest roles in her career as she’s introduced to a galaxy far, far away, unlike anything she’s ever dealt with before. Born in an affluent suburb in Birmingham, Jones’ impressive schooling from a young age to a glimmering adult has truly paid off. Some, like myself, may know her from ITV’s The Worst Witch series, starring in it’s pilot season, followed by a handful of other British TV programmes that spanned from 2003 to 2009. It wasn’t until 2009 that Jones’ big break hit, starring alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathy Bates and a dozen British talents such as Toby Kebbell, Rupert Friend and Tom Burke in the period drama Chéri, followed by the Ricky Gervais drama Cemetery Junction. Both proved worthy of all talents involved, and really Jones’ career began to lift. >
words-Ash Walmsley
Rogue one
Drake Doremus’ critically acclaimed Like Crazy, however, is Jones’ careerblossoming moment. Her portrayal as Anna was acclaimed and garnered the young actress a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and truly an unforgettable chemistry with onscreen partner -- the late, great Anton Yelchin -- had them improvising a large chunk of their script, thus proving Jones’ talents. She later showed her energetic side, starring alongside Gossip Girls’ Ed Westwick in a lighter-than-air romantic comedy Chalet Girl. Jones withstood two months of snowboarding lessons to prepare for the role and actually worked undercover in a chalet in St. Anton. She has since released a statement that this role was something of a “relief”, ably letting her hair down and having fun performing something lighter than her usual titles. Soon after, she rejoined forced with director Doremus for the romantic drama Breathe In. The Academy soon caught an eye full of Ms. Jones, however, come 2014 when she starred as Jane Hawking in The Theory of Everything. The film, though brimming with powerhouse performances from all, gave Jones the ability to ultimately flesh her acting chops. And in turn, the attempt at playing in a biopic with such an emotional gut punch worked stupendously well for the actress, paralleling with the great Eddie Redmayne in the lead role and both highlighting the true complexities of falling in love and the lengths you go for one another. The performance was met with adoration from all, including nominations for Best Actress at the Oscars, a BAFTA for Actress in a
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Leading Role and a Golden Globe for Best Actress. The nominations and all the praise was justified, and those that recognised Felicity from previous works, like myself, were sprouting with glee that this talent was finally getting noticed. In 2016, Jones has three projects in the pipeline. The first, pairing with Tom Hanks in Dan Brown’s latest crime thriller Inferno, directed by the unstoppable Ron Howard in a film that’ll no doubt have the actress running for her life one way or another, and the second is based off a novel of the same name by Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls. Visionary director J.A. Bayona directs Jones alongside former cast mate Toby Kebbell, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver and newcomer Lewis MacDougall in this visually enticing fantasy drama where a young boy seeks the help of a tree monster to help deal with his mother’s illness. Last but not least, Rogue One. Jones’ foot in the saga’s doors has her playing the lead, Jyn Erso, as the film’s setting is that before the events of A New Hope. The film itself will focus on a group of Rebel spies on a mission to steal the plans of the Galactic Empire’s new weapon, the Death Star. The film is based off an original idea from visual effects supervisor John Knoll. Jones’ career has revved from British period piece to enormous big-budget blockbuster, but it certainly doesn’t mean it doesn’t prove her talent as one of the biggest stars to come out of our shores this decade. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is released in UK cinemas on December 16th.
Tatiana Maslany, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara auditioned for
Felicity Jones’ role
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 63
Rogue one Forest Whitaker will play Saw Gerrera, who is actually a character from
2008 animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. Photos: Jonathan Olley © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd
the
farwell kenny baker Last Sunday news broke that Kenny Baker had passed away at the grand old age of 81. I’m sure there is an obituary somewhere on VultureHound dedicated to the man who meant so much to so many people, but I just wanted to pay my respects to the man who was part of a film series that influenced so much in my life. Star Wars has been part of my life since before I can even remember, it just feels like it has always been there, I can’t remember the first time I watched Star Wars but I can remember going into the garden with my friend and using my Mum’s garden poles as lightsabers. When I went to university up north in Preston, I found out that Kenny was a resident of the city and that he frequented the local Morrison’s supermarket (that’s where Justin Lee Collins found him anyway). The Morrison’s in question just so happened to be across the road from the local Odeon cinema (other cinema’s are available), so every Wednesday when I went to the cinema I would carry a picture of R2D2 just in case we ever bumped into Kenny whilst we were shopping for cinema snacks. I didn’t ever meet the man himself, but the fact that I might have always excited me. It’s a shame that I’ll never get the chance to meet him in Morrison’s, but on behalf of Star Wars and movies fans; Thank you Kenny.
words-shane bayliss
A Long Time Ago, in an Extended Universe far, far Away.... When Disney announced a new trilogy of Star Wars films were finally coming to the silver screen, regardless of the elation and excitement from the hoards of fans across the globe, it was not much of a surprise. Ever since the first three episodes were released in the 1970s and 80s, audiences were assured they were the first batch of a nine film ‘saga’. What did raise a few eyebrows of wonder was the studio’s intention to delve into the franchise’s ‘extended universe’ – something of which Marvel has recently mastered the formula that is now in vogue– with spin-offs to be spliced in between the major episode releases. Suddenly that excitement and elation was turning into intrigue with a side of scepticism. Being a space opera of epic proportions, Star Wars does seem to be the perfect setting for a cosmic journey into its extended universe, but as previously alluded to, this has been something reserved for comic book realms, which have a wealth of characters who are adored by fans and a plethora of storylines from which to mine endless films. A barrage of new Star Wars films could become stale as despite the many non-canonical books and video games, there is essentially one story arc that mainstream fans are familiar with and to which the seven released episodes have stuck. Being dubious, the extended universe motif is a ploy for what are essentially stop-gap films between the main events to keep the financial wheels turning of the movie factory with the resulting content lapped >
words-Jim Watkins
Rogue one
Filming
of rogue
one reportedly
up by the adorning popcorn-munching audiences. It is also an easy way for studios to ensure a bulging rota of new films without having the unwanted strain of coming up with something original. But it also responding to what people want. The movie industry now co-exists in an ‘on-demand’ world, with Netflix and the ilk, and top-class produced television shows appearing on the likes of HBO. Audiences want more and grow so increasingly attached to these new worlds and characters that writers are even losing the balls to kill the most loved ones off (we’re looking at you Jon Snow). DC has been a victim because it is hastily trying to catch up with Marvel, which has taken its time to hone in on the craft of the extended universe films, AKA the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and allowed them to successfully experiment with characters and tones to create major successes such as Guardians of the Galaxy. The impact of this urgency to throw films into the viewing schedule, mimic the plaudits and appease the audience is having disastrous effects, to which Marvel itself is not immune. Suicide Squad, Batman V Superman, and Fantastic Four are the most recent examples of this, with rumours of studio interference and those at the top being more concerned with making a buck than producing a credible storyline. The dreaded reshoots and rewrites have also surrounded the first in the Star Wars extended universe output: Rogue One. But should we be so worried? The vistas, effects and visuals from the new trailer look incredible, and the man behind the camera, Gareth Edwards, is an impressive director who whilst still in his infancy showed he can handle the big blockbuster demands with his take on film’s most cherished monster, Godzilla. Rogue One will focus on a team of rebels who attempt to steal the plans for the Death Star. It will be
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started on the
1st
July 2015 at Pinewood Studios of
Photos: Jonathan Olley © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd
interesting to see how the film stretches this premise into engaging fare when we already know what the ending will be.
more common and is a bit of a cop-out, but given the right treatment, care and time, it could prove to be a lot of fun.
With Ben Mendelsohn, Felicity Jones, Mads Mikkelsen and Forest Whitaker on board, the film appears to be in safe hands and there are plenty of reasons to remain excited for its December 2016 release.
Where else could the Star Wars extended universe take us? As far as we know, Disney only has plans up until Episode IX. Could it again attempt to mirror Marvel’s success with a transition into television and streaming services? ‘At Home With The Skywalkers’ perhaps or will there ever be a place for a mockumentary road movie of the Cantina Band’s rise and fall in the intergalactic music industry? Only time will tell, but let’s pray they do not split the last film into two parts.
Casting is already under way for the next spinoff, a young Han Solo film, which has Alden Ehrenreich in the lead role and rumours of the return of everyone’s favourite smuggler, Lando Calrissian. The young [insert name here] brand is something which is becoming
Rouge
one will be
the first star wars film without a john williams score
Rogue one James Earl Jones returns as the voice of
Darth
Vader
68 VULTUREHOUND SEPTEMBER 2016
Photos: Jonathan Olley © 2016 Lucasfilm Ltd
10 Predictions for Rogue One 1 Darth Vader’s appearance an ‘end of the second act’ (maybe start of the third act) surprise. I use the word ‘surprise’ loosely, of course.
2 One of the Rogue squad will turn traitor. 3 Someone will probably die in the second act. 4 JYN ERSO IS NOT REY’S MOTHER. Sorry. We just needed to get that out there.
5 It won’t earn as much as The Force Awakens. 6 K-2SO (the droid on the team) will be a source of mild comic relief. But he won’t be as funny as HK-47. For those that get the reference - you know. You know.
7 There will be many more cringe-inducing lines of dialogue. This is Star Wars after all. “This is a rebellion isn’t it? I rebel.” Good god no.
8 Jyn Erso will manage to infiltrate the Death Star, via means of going undercover. I doubt more than two others of her team will accompany her (because... look below).
9 The Stormtroopers will hit their targets. Many times over. Just to prove a point.
10 Nearly everyone part of the ‘Rogue team’ will die by the end. Like... only two are left alive. I’ll be incredibly surprised if this doesn’t happen.
words-Jordan Smith
DD MARGOT KIDDER
Words: Aaron Carruthers
SUPERMAN’S LOI S L A N E
T O G R A M KIDDER C
anadian stage and screen actress MARGOT KIDDER, famous for her role as Lois Lane in the Superman movies from 1978-1987 opposite Christopher Reeve, is a fascinating woman that has lived an eventful life.
We got the chance to interview her at this year’s Film and Comic Con Glasgow. Here’s our conversation.
Was acting the career path that you wanted to go down? I saw my first movie at eight in a church basement because I lived in little, tiny mining camps in Canada. I was from a family of kids. The film starred Glynis Johns where she and her husband dies and then all of the children get parcelled out to different family members by the eldest child. At the end of the film, he’s wandering from house to house at Christmas looking in at his brothers and sisters. I just sobbed and wept all the way home. That’s when I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I don’t know how they are linked but they are. (Laughs) I now know how unusual it is and how lucky I was to have known really early on what I wanted to do. My granddaughter is going to Harvard in the fall and doesn’t know what she wants one week from another. She
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wants to be a marine biologist or be in international law, but she doesn’t really know. I think that’s really tough on kids.
What was the casting process of Superman The Movie like? I really wanted the part. It was frightening as all auditions are, so I had my first audition then I flew from Montana, where I live, to London to do a screen test. I went, “I gotta get this movie because your marriage is really bad but you don’t have the strength to get out, but if you get a big movie you can leave,” so there was that motivation. So then I went to the producers and I started telling everybody in the room what needs to come across in this scene. I had to communicate that I am really in love with Superman, no matter what. When I first met Christopher Reeve before filming he was the skinniest, dorkiest guy you could imagine. His pant legs were six inches above his ankles. I mean, I thought,
“This is Superman?” So all I kept going was, “Look like you love him”, and it worked. I got the part. It was a shame that the one scene that was only in the screen test couldn’t have been in the movie. It was the gun scene, and I find out he’s Superman.
Did you have any fun experiences on the Superman sequels, as it’s known that these were films that
Photo: Catriona McGurk
“CHRISTOPHER REEVE WAS THE SKINNIEST, DORKIEST GUY YOU COULD IMAGINE”
had producer interferences? Well, I did. I don’t like not enjoying things. Obviously, the whole trauma of Richard Donner (director) not coming back was sort of gone. But making a movie is a long process and a lot of things make it fun or make it not unendurable. You can see, however, when you watch it, the scenes Richard Donner shot because my face was so much more relaxed the others. Sometimes, you could see the steam coming out of my ears.
Are there any projects that you appeared in that people should go back and watch? A movie called Heartaches with Annie Potts (Ghostbusters) I made in Canada.
You’ve worked in movies, television and theatre, which of them are you most confident doing? I like all of them for different reasons. I feel most confident in movies because you have time to correct mistakes you’ve made; in and on stage, I had to get over years of really bad stage fright to enjoy it as I do now.
You appeared in two movies with the much missed Richard Pryor what was he like to have as a costar? He was my lover first, and he was one of the best actors I ever worked with because he was so in the moment. If you flicked your eyes to the side he was right with you. I remember saying on the movie we did, called Some Kind of Hero, “Man you can really act,” and he went,
“Yeah I really know my craft.” But nobody would let him do it. They all wanted him just to turn up and be funny, which broke his heart because
ON RICHARD PRYOR: “THEY ALL WANTED HIM JUST TO TURN UP AND BE FUNNY, WHICH BROKE HIS HEART BECAUSE HE REALLY LOVED ACTING AND WAS AS GOOD AS IT GETS”
DD MARGOT KIDDER we were all kids without much money and it was a much looser, goofier set. We were all away from home so it was like a sorority club in that respect and we all had fun, like young kids do. Then Sisters was terrific because Brian De Palma was my boyfriend at the time. So you could say I slept with the director to get the part (laughs). Jennifer Salt (co-star) was my roommate and she had gone to college with Brian, so he came down one Christmas morning, handed us both a script and said, “Here’re your Christmas presents.”
he really loved acting and was as good as it gets. His whole brand of humour was based on being truthful, which all good acting is about. So he just took that into acting and really did what you are supposed to do. He and Christopher Reeve didn’t like each other at all on Superman III and I don’t think Chris expected to get a serious performance out of him. I was his girlfriend on and off; he got married a couple of times in the middle. He did have a habit of doing that. I saw how tough it was on him and how much it hurt not to have people take you seriously enough as an actor, though. He had eight wives that he had to support. I sent him a telegram, “Who do you think you are Henry the VIII?” and the wife never forgave me for that one, once somebody explained it to her.
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What was it like to work for Cannon Films on Superman IV? Personally, I thought Menahem Golan was so outrageous that I kinda adored him, in the way you adore your worst behaved uncle who gets drunk every Christmas. He was such an outrageous, largerthan-life character, only Menahem could think of renting a navy boat from the Israeli government, shooting it up full of holes and returning it. They said, “What have you done?” It was the gulf war; that’s a ballsy kind of guy in a really perverted way. I thought he was funny.
You starred in three horror films that were recently remade. What are your memories of making Black Christmas, Sisters and The Amityville Horror? They were very different. Black Christmas was a low budget film with a delightful director, Bob Clark, and
So we went off. Ed Pressman produced it. He got the money from his mother who owned Pressman Toy Company and so we kinda went off blind and made this movie. That was fun to make; again, very loosey-goosey. None of us made money, except now I own part of it and I can’t get a hold of Ed Pressman to give it to me. But Amityville was a bigger budget. The director, Stuart Rosenberg (Cool Hand Luke), he and I kinda knew it was funny, not true and nonsensical. But Rod Steiger and James Brolin took it very seriously; no joking around with those two. So the director and I joked a lot. Steiger and Brolin didn’t because it was a big studio production. The studio was overlooking everything and had opinions about how it should be. I did it for money, frankly. My agent and I had a policy, one for the heart and one for money. I would have done Superman for the heart if it had turned out that way. But not The Amityville Horror. That was one I whored myself out for.
Did you ever see those remakes?
No, I have very specific taste in movies and I’m terribly boring. I don’t venture out of it.
What kind of movies do you enjoy?
You are a long-time Democratic supporter and activist are you hopeful for the future? I’m not a Democratic supporter. The Democratic Party is a more corrupt
I like grown-up films. Actually, given that I’m 67 years old I think I’ve earned that right and there aren’t a lot of them.
There was no emotional weight, character, or plot. It was all about getting you amped up. Why was it such a hit?
“I HUNG OUT WITH JANIS JOPLIN AND DID COCAINE FOR THE FIRST TIME”
I watched on YouTube an episode of The Dick Cavett Show from the 70s with you, singer Janis Joplin, and Sunset Boulevard actress Gloria Swanson. What was it like, to be on a show with those iconic ladies? I remember walking past Gloria’s dressing room before we did the show and she was having someone pull her face back with these clamps and then clamp a wig on top. I was a 19-year-old hippy chick from Vancouver.
I live in small town in Montana of 6-7,000 people. We have one theatre. It’s now divided into two screens and from April to October it’s either huge Blockbusters or it’s a cartoon. By the end of the summer, I’m literally writing letters to the editor asking if we can now get some intelligent, adult movies? I hate this CGI stuff. I saw Jason Bourne and I went, “Wait a minute, what’s this?” A single millimetre of a cut, one after another. I got the feeling that they didn’t storyboard it, they just shot so much stuff and then worked it out in the editing room with the shortest cuts humanly possible.
a ‘Fuck Muppet!’ There was a slew of them, Scots were the stars of the universe that week.
party than the Republican Party. But I’m a long time progressive. I’m genuinely a pacifist, have been forever, and genuinely for Europe. I’m a very moderate socialist and have been forever. The Democratic Party just happened to be, for a great deal of my adult life, the most left-wing party, so I campaigned for a lot of people who were Democrats. The American system, at the moment, is so corrupted that the right keep moving further right, so the Democratic Party is really a right wing party like the Republican Party. The Scottish people scored big with Americans when Trump came to Scotland. Scottish people all have the best swear words of anybody in the world. We all got these mini-movies from one Scot to the next calling him
I then go out to one of my idols, Janis Joplin. She was doing something with Dick Cavett, so I sat out there where she sang and I was overwhelmed at being on the same show as her. When she finished, out came Gloria Swanson. Dick Cavett promptly said, “What have you been doing lately?” Gloria said, “I’ve been doing portraits lately. I’d love to do your head,” Janis Joplin went in a gruff voice, “I bet you would baby.” The microphone swung away from Janis and she gave a monologue of filth but Gloria didn’t pick up on it. I had my jaw hanging over. After the show, Janis, her band, and I hung out. That’s when I did my first cocaine, then I did tequila. The whole thing was a wild night. Janis Joplin was the sweetest lost child on the planet and obviously wanted to be my friend. But I was star-struck; it never occurred to me that somebody like her wanted to be my friend, so I blew it and she died two months later. I’ll never forget that day and night.
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 73
CUARON WATCH THE THRONE
Words: Cayle Hotene
The Union of Two Kings of Rap, Never Equalled
Watch e n o r the th five years on
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five years on
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atch The Throne, the Jay Z and Kanye West megacollaboration, dropped 5 years ago in August. Here, Cayle Hotene explores the enduring power of the album, and his personal connection to it. So it’s been 5 years since this one dropped.... classic, classic, classic. “It didn’t live up to the hy-” FUCK YOU. Classic. It’s not perfect, but it is transcendent. It became more than it was. (Go listen to ‘Otis’ if you’ve forgotten what it feels like to get kicked off the fucking planet). The concert, to this day, remains, the most impressive I’ve ever been to. It’s hard to put into words what Watch The Throne is to me, but I’ll give it a go. Pressing play (after admiring the epitome of overstated decadence that is the album cover) immediately supplants me to the latter part of 2011 and the summer of 2012. I don’t listen to this album often - maybe a few times a year - but that’s because it’s so potent, so luxurious, that the vibe and environment has to be perfect. I forgot just how mean that backing guitar riff to the opener, ‘No Church In The Wild’, is. Jay kicks it off in typically evocative style: “Tears on the mausoleum floor, blood stains the coliseum doors…” and I’m 18 again - post-first-love break-up, still a kid, bumping my head. Of a mind to pinch myself a couple times. How stunning was this idea, really? Ye wasn’t far off his career best (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) and
while Jay was coming off of his least critically-revered releases to date, the Marcy-born poet still sat atop the throne. Unlike most of our candy coated wishes, this one came true. Jay might’ve semi-to-fully washed Kanye on nearly every track, but it’s Jay. There’s a reason people (sometimes unwittingly) refer to him as God. Would he have hit those heights with anyone but Yeezy by his side? They pushed each other, drove each other, like brothers do. And when Jay warned about the perils of crossing Ye, I don’t think he was fronting. They rode for each other to the end. You heard it in every track, that level of chemistry is the holy grail. And that chemistry isn’t there anymore, sadly. As always, what Yeezy lacked in technical polish he made up for with rabid passion, self-belief, and balls-out imagination - nowadays, he seems to have lost but one of those qualities. Can you see present day Yeezy come up with something as unapologetically flagrant (and genius) as: “They ain’t seen me cause I pulled up in my other benz, last week I was in my other OTHER benz”? Impassioned by the presence of his idol, his influence, his Big Brother, Watch The Throne is the final hurrah of the entity Kanye West as we knew him - he never reached those heights again, and never will. At least we were there to live it. From the legendary one-two punch of ‘Paris’ and ‘Otis’, to Jay’s razing second verse on ‘Who Gon Stop Me’, to the wind-down reflection on ‘New Day’ (at the concert, they both sat next to each other on the stage and performed it in that position), the album is full of the kind of gems that many rappers strive to get one of. The way they trade
bars on ‘Otis’ will go down in hip-hop legend, and rightfully so. I knew we were witnessing something seismic when we went to see the resulting concert. My friends and I danced and weaved through a hallucinatory crowd, and while that may sound needlessly poetic, it truly felt that way - stone cold sober, we each felt wired, elated, out-of-body. They encored ‘Paris’ seven times; and I swear on all that is Hova we could have gone for ten more. There was a connection, there, maybe it was our age, where we are more impressionable, bowing down to influential figures - but more likely, the music, the art, was perfect for us - at a time when I, personally, was in that purgatory stage between being a kid and becoming a man, heady, without any real plan, and yes, maybe a little scared - Watch The Throne felt like a celebration of being alive, being young (in soul or body) and especially, being foolish without apology. And it still does. We torment ourselves with what we think hip-hop needs, willing stars to align to sate our wide-eyed dreams, believing secretly it won’t happen... except this time, it did. Watch The Throne - the album, the tour, the goddam idea itself - is the union of two kings of rap, never equalled. And the beauty of that, as much as I valiantly try, can’t really be put into words. The Gods smiled on this one, and willed it into life. One invented sweat. One made Jesus Walk. And they’re both responsible for Watch The Throne. Salute.
SEPTEMBER 2016 VULTUREHOUND 75
VULTUREHOUND
Daily updates at vulturehound.com
REVIEWS
Words: Ashleigh Walmsley
computer-generated is for the most blurred, at first it may take audiences a few minutes to get used to these talking animals. It does help, however, when the likes of Kingsley, an authoritative though caring voice talent, and Murray’s impeccable display of irresistible likability and range of delirious amusement — the Bear Necessities never sounded more enjoyable — are on offer.
THE JUNGLE BOOK
4/5
udyard Kipling’s base collection of stories regarding orphan Mowgli and his jungle adventures have been adapted for the big screen countless of times, none more memorable than Disney’s animated classic The Jungle Book, released in 1967. The first of two reboots, the second of which being directed by Andy Serkis and released by Warner Brothers, hits, with Iron Man director Jon Favreau at the helm.
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Orphan man cub Mowgli’s upbringing in the jungle by the wolf pack, lead by Raksha and Aketa (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o and Giancarlo Esposito), hits turbulence when the fierce tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) intends to end his life. Lead by black panther Bagheera (Sir Ben Kingsley) to hopefully reach the man village, the pair run into a slithery serpent named Kaa (Scarlett Johansson), a cuddly sloth bear named Baloo (Bill Murray) and find themselves stumbling into the Monkey Kingdom and being held captive by their leader, the gigantopithecus King Louie (Christopher Walken). Favreau’s energetic flair for all things fun transcends more than just the screen; the world of which his version of The Jungle Book is set is extraordinarily detailed. Wholly realised in its separate kingdoms, brimming with a cornucopia of wondrous animals, this world is one of the most extensive, visually stunning affairs since we were introduced to Pandora. Ably splicing together the use of photo-real visual effects, CGI and a live action main character, Mowgli himself played by newcomer Neel Stethi, the blend is seamless and awe-inducing. Whilst the barrier between real and
Elba’s villainous husk is spine-tingling as he aids the tiger’s genius design, with no muscle or step out of place ensuring this new vision of Mowgli’s tale is as accurate as it wants to be entertaining. Johansson’s deliciously entrancing Kaa coils and lures in audiences as much as our title character, though sadly is a little underused. The rest of the cast, also, are a dream come true. Nyong’o’s supremely caring mother wolf adds emotional heft, something the original was vastly missing, and the bonds Mowgli has with both her and leader of the pack Akela sends this reboot higher than initial expectations. King of the Swingers Christopher Walken adds a threatening, Kong-like gangster to King Louie which, along with Shere Khan ala 2016, provides a much darker, bleaker image for this animal kingdom — though kudos to fitting Gigantopithecus into the much loved song. As for our newcomer, Stethi’s as adorably rambunctious as you might expect from a jungle-bound lad, ridden in bruises and scrapes which is a more realistic approach in regards to surviving in such a wild pack. This is the boy’s first rodeo, so grand gestures towards animals that may be wooden in person but coiling around him in delight after editing, but his performance is admirable and, for the most, spot on. Occasional over-exaggerations may pull audiences out of the realism aspect but never once does Stethi outfit his rule of Mowgli. Favreau, out of thousands, picked well. His ensemble is impeccable. A few differences to the original animation or absent story progressions from the source material may anger hardcore fans, but those in dire need for a Disney fix, this is extraordinary work. Favreau is such a delightful filmmaker, holding firm the source that created the classic as much as adhering to new formats makes way for the audiences of today. The Jungle Book 2016 is the way forward for Disney’s step towards rebooting their classics. Last year’s Cinderella touched upon their ability, but this shows truly what the studio are capable of. An exciting, thrilling adventure that holds firm a thumping heart, all of which revels in the beaming world of Favreau’s new vision. A delight from beginning to end.
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REVIEWS
Words: Jacob Doolin
rest of Amnesty (I) shows, it’s a voice worth paying attention to. Aiming down the same thematic style as their previous release, the new record finds the band once again diving into the poisoned underbelly of society to discuss the topics of abuse and neglect. However, where the band’s last record squarely focused on the abusers Amnesty (I) takes a far more interesting approach by highlighting how we are all capable of being victims as well.
CRYSTAL CASTLES AMNESTY (I)
4.5/5
hen Alice Glass left Crystal Castles in 2014 it seemed as though the end had come for the Toronto based synth-pop duo. Losing one half of the creative team behind the band was bad enough, but the split was messy. The band’s producer Ethan Kath attempted to undersell Glass’ influence on the bands and it’s popularity while Glass maintained that she had been the spark to many of the band’s biggest hits.
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The entire incident was filled with the type of dark undercurrents of abuse and the ‘evils of man’ which made up much of the band’s music to that point. And with their critically acclaimed third album, (III), two years behind them it was hard to see how the band could bounce back. But only a year later we got the first taste of the newest incarnation of the band, now fronted by vocalist Edith Frances, with the song ‘Frail’. The track hit similar notes that the band had struck before; Kath’s usual skittery goth-rave production was as bombastic as ever, but it was Frances vocal that showcased the first real change in sound for the band. Unlike the last few years of the band’s work, ‘Frail’ put the vocals in the forefront with a greater emphasis on what was being said. Instead of burying her like he did with Glass (especially prevalent on the bands last two albums) Kath allowed Frances to create her own voice and, as ‘Frail’ and the
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This empathetic look into the evil we all can muster makes for a far more nuanced listen compared to the band’s previous work. With Frances voice and lyrics given a more prominent place in the mix, making the message clear to interpretation. Tracks like ‘Frail’ and ‘Enth’ bring across a feeling of finding freedom from ones abuser, with building synth leads and huge a vocal. While other tracks like ‘Fleece’ and ‘Sadist’ show the ugliness of abuse with screeching production and lyrics that read like an abusers last attempt to get someone to stay with them. The entire album straddles this line between the two extremes and does so with a kind of grace one might not expect of a band like Crystal Castles. This isn’t to say that the band is completely done with some of its old tricks though. The use of vocal distortion is still prevalent but not as much as it has been on previous releases. Kath even manages to find a way to use it in interesting way as with the track ‘Ornament’, which wouldn’t be out of place in any rave. Other moments like ‘Char’ and ‘Kept’ fair slightly worse with the latter boarding on unlistenable due to it’s screeching vocal mix. But those retreads are few and far between, a quaint look back for a band that seems to be marching forward. Nowhere is this better exemplified than on the closer ‘Their Kindness is Charade’ which has the band finding beauty in a cloud of violence that looms over the rest of the record, bringing all the album’s themes full circle. Frances tries to convince someone that their abuser is “unashamed” of their actions and that their attempts at kindness are nothing more than a mask. It’s a dark song for sure, even ending on a somewhat ambiguous note as to what this person will do, but it also has something that many Crystal Castles songs lack - hope. And that’s ultimately what sets Amnesty (I) apart; where they used to wallow in the darkness, they’re now showing signs of moving on, in more ways than one.
FINAL WORD
SHANE BAYLISS
FINAL WORD
WHAT THE FUCK ? S A M V E H T O T D HAPPENE emember when the MTV Video Music Awards used to be diverse, remember when it used to represent all of music, remember when it actually used to be good? I do! What the fuck happened? This year, there wasn’t even a clear presenter, we had two guys who seemed mildly amusing doing some kind of bit, and then cutting to other people who thought they were funny or hip. There was even some fella with a pair of shoes around his neck, I can only assume he’s got anger issues and nobody wanted to let him know what he was doing wrong.
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We had four performances from Rihanna, because she won some kind of award but all of these performances felt half arsed, she didn’t even seem to want to sing the whole of the songs. She was quite happy to sing over a backing track, and then do some weird dance routines at one point looking as though she’d been dressed by former ECW star Sabu. What gives MTV? Why can’t you be cool again, why can’t you make a show that we all enjoy? Why do you have to pander to all these egos? The worst part was giving Kayne West a microphone, who the hell does this guy think he is, Paul Heyman? I had to listen to West talking for five minutes, and during that time he made no coherent
point other than seemingly suggesting that him and the rest of his “famous” friends were above everyone else. He also listed Henry Ford and Walt Disney as his role models! I don’t mean to influence your role models Kayne, but you might want to do a bit of research into those picks for inspiration of yours. All that being said, Beyonce fucking rocked it, so there is that! I just want my MTV (back)! Is it really that hard? I mean Nirvana once won a fucking VMA, and now we’ve got Drake and DNCE. It makes me sad!
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