Category: Interviews

Interview with Actor/Musician Courtney Gains By Jesse Striewski

Many moons ago, long before Facebook had taken over as the social media giants they would soon become, there was this little site people connected on called Myspace. At the time, I was new to navigating it, and just starting to feel my way around the world of journalism. Looking to score my first interview piece for the magazine I was writing for at the same time, one of the first celebrities I ever followed and reached out to was one I had always been a fan of growing up; Courtney Gains of The ‘Burbs and Children of the Corn fame.

I cannot recall if I ever did hear back regarding my interview inquiry back then or not, but for whatever reason, the moment was simply not meant to be. Fast forward to 2023, where after a solid fifteen years of writing about entertainment for various media outlets has lead to a number of interview opportunities actually presenting themselves to my desktop on nearly a daily basis. One of those recently being none other than Gains, who admittedly I did not realize until fairly recently was also an accomplished musician with a new studio release on the way at the time (in addition to still being a talented actor).

So I jumped at the chance to finally speak with Gains one-on-one, and after finally settling on a mutual day and time, sat down for a phone conversation with him. With a body of work in film that stretches all the way back to the early ’80s, I decided to start off with his music endeavors first, and asked just how long he had been playing for, and what instrument he originally started off with. He told me; “I started taking (guitar) lessons when I was thirteen years old. I’ve been in bands in LA for a number of years, probably from about the time I was eighteen. So it’s always been my side hustle/hobby; it wasn’t how I was making a living (back then), but I was always pursuing it. But this time around I’m really doing my own project as opposed to being in ‘a band.’ The last project that I had before this current one was a band called Ripple Street, and the last album we put out was just a straight break-up record. I played guitar and sang with them, but in this band I really wanted a better guitar player, so I actually play bass and sing, which has been an interesting process for me.”

I decided to dive right into his new EP, Safe Haven, which he had just started officially promoting the week prior to our conversation. Regarding it he informed me; “It’s a six-song EP, all rock ‘n roll and blues, and all things I want to talk about that I think are a little whacked out. For example, I have a song called “The Healer” that’s the point of view of an egotistical plastic surgeon (Laughs). Then there’s songs like “Bills in Space” about the billionaire space race, stuff like that.”

He continued his point regarding the latter song; “I think it’s funny some of the ‘greater minds’ spend all this money so they can go out into space…how about solve some of the problems right here first? (Laughs). What I’ve learned though is you just never know the impact something’s going to have on someone. By talking about/promoting this and getting it out there, there might be at least one person that it effects. If you just put yourself out there, you just never know the impact it’s going to make.”

I wanted to know if he had a personal favorite track from the record, to which he said; “Someone else recently asked me a similar question, and I had to go with “Good Times;” I’ve been playing that song for over twenty years. Three of the songs on the record are songs I’ve had around for awhile, and they all appeared in a movie called Benny Bliss and the Disciples of Greatness from 2009 that I produced and starred in that had an anti-technology message, so there’s definitely a theme there of things that I’m not too keen on (Laughs). But that song has been around forever and is the type of song that just gets people up on their feet, so it’s good to finally get that one out there.”

Gains informed me; “We’ve been really gigging for the last eight or nine months, and it’s all been gearing up for hitting the road next year to really promote the record, that’s what this has all been really heading towards. It also ties in with Children of the Corn’s 40th anniversary next year, so it will definitely be a big convention year for me in 2024. I’ve been doing horror conventions for fifteen years or so now, and it’s been a good run. But I’m getting kind of tired of the traveling and jumping on plans and all that, so I think I’m going to call it and go out on a big note.”

Gains continued; “But it’s good timing-wise, because I can also promote the music during this same run. We’re even talking about doing some 35mm print screenings of the film with some Q&A’s and the band playing.” And as far as if this might make it to Florida, he told me; “We’re going to start coordinating all that soon. I don’t know for sure if there’s any art houses or places in Florida that want to screen it yet, but if they do, we’ll show up!”

As far as landing the role of Malachai in Children… all those years ago, Gains enlightened me of the process; “I had to audition, which I still often do. There was this casting director named Linda Francis who had seen me in a showcase, which were just starting to happen in LA. They would invite agents and casting directors down and you’d present a scene, and if they liked you they might take your picture or whatever. And she took a liking to me and was really the first person to become a ‘fan.’ She cast me in this one film that ended up not happening, but she was the one that kept pushing for me, and really made a big difference in my life.”

He continued further; “But the famous story goes that in the first reading for Children…, I pulled a fake knife on the reader, who didn’t know that it was fake and about wet himself! He’s since gone on to be a huge casting director, and to this day will use that moment as an example at his lectures and tell people to never do that…which I agree, but at the time I was just young and hungry, although that’s a good way to never get called back again (Laughs)! Then the second audition was with John Franklin who played Issac, and I was grabbing/lifting him up by his lapels, and he said I was by far the scariest one in the room, and the rest is history! That was both his and mine’s first film, and we’re still tight and do conventions together to this day.”

I was also curious if Gains had been a Stephen King fan prior to appearing in a film based off of the writer’s work. He told me; “I didn’t really realize how big he was (or was going to be) at the time, but thank God for that, we’ve been riding Stephen King’s coat tails for almost forty years now (Laughs).” And as far as the numerous entries in the franchise that have come since? Gains told me; I saw the sixth one which John (Franklin) returned for, and I did see the Sy Fy reboot that the producer of the original one, Don Borchers, also returned for – and that was alright. I was supposed to actually do a cameo for that, but I wasn’t able to do it because I was actually at a con in Florida at the time, and the weather didn’t permit, so it didn’t end up happening.”

I asked about his follow up to Children…, the 1984 sex comedy Hardbodies, and what that was like filming, and Gains joked; “It was terrible! I got to hang out on the beach all day with hot girls, so it was just absolutely brutal! (Laughs). But I got that part because I would go to this class that the director (Mark Griffiths) would have on Sunday nights, and he took a real liking to me. So when he got greenlit to do that film, he more or less tailored made that role for me, which was basically mine to not blow.”

As far as that sweet checkered hat he wore in the film and hanging out with the all-female rock group Vixen at the time, he informed me; “I put that whole outfit together, and remember actually getting in a fight with the wardrobe lady (Laughs). She was living closer to the south beach areas and what was going on with the kids down there, but I was going for more of a skateboarder vibe. I’d say a good seventy percent of that wardrobe was all stuff of mine, and I had that checkered hat for a number of years afterwards, but I’m not sure whatever happened to it. I do remember the first day driving in Malibu like that though and people were just laughing. But hey, it was already getting a reaction, so I must’ve been on to something! (Laughs).”

And when it came to seeing a pre-famous Vixen on the set; “I was walking from a trailer down this alleyway in Venice Beach, and I heard them as they were actually in the garage rehearsing (just like the scene they appear in the movie), and I thought they’re pretty cool! Then I remember a few years later seeing their poster up somewhere and being blown away by how huge they had become. I thought they were just a band they had put together for the movie (Laughs).”

The following year Gains appeared in the film that would kick off one of the biggest trilogies of all time, 1985’s Back to the Future. Although his role was brief, I asked how it felt to be a part of such a blockbuster series. He explained; “To be associated with that franchise in anyway is a pretty mind-blowing, amazing thing. My character had already been dropped one time, and if you’re doing a movie they can only drop you one time, and if they bring you back they can’t drop you again. So they had already dropped me once in the middle of all the chaos of re-shooting everything after dropping Eric Stoltz in the lead role and replacing him with Michael J. Fox. Still to this day, one of the top residual checks I get is from Back to the Future, so it’s been a financial blessing in my life.”

Ironically Gains would go on to co-star with Stoltz after all in the somewhat forgotten classic, 1990’s Memphis Belle. I asked his thoughts on the film today; “The timing was bad because it came out right when the first Iraqi war broke out, and no one wanted to go see a war movie at the time. But still a very good film with some top-notch people involved with it.”

Of course one cannot forget his role as the nerdy best friend to Patrick Dempsey in 1987’s Can’t Buy Me Love. Regarding the film he stated; “Well, it’s definitely had an impact. It was a just the second film for this little indie company called Apollo Pictures which I had already done another movie for. It was originally this low budget film called Boy Meets Girl, and then Disney picked it up with their new division called Touchstone Pictures, and they dumped some more money into it to do some re-shoots and take all of the bad jokes out of it (Laughs). And then they bought the rights to (The Beatles song) “Can’t Buy Me Love” – which was not cheap – and then they made that the title, which really took it to the next level. But that movie was like the the number three movie that summer, and really launched Patrick Dempsey’s career.”

But perhaps the most memorable role of Gains’ career to this day (aside from Malachai) will always be Hans Klopek, creepy neighbor to Tom Hanks in 1989’s The ‘Burbs. Gains stated; “That’s the one that I think is really the most underrated. While we were shooting it, Big had just come out, which was just a huge hit for Tom Hanks. Comparatively they were disappointed, but thanks to home video and all that it really kept getting out there, and it wasn’t until I started doing conventions years later that I realized that there was a whole like dedicated, underground, ‘Burbs community out there (Laughs). There’s people that tell me stories that this was the movie they used to watch with their parents, and now watch with their own kids. It seems to be the movie the whole family agrees on, and I even had a guy tell me it’s the movie his mom watches when she gets depressed! You can never underestimate the impact that a movie can have on people. It’s pretty cool.”

He continued his thoughts on the film; “I had a good time working on it, though. Joe Dante was a nice guy to work for, and Tom Hanks was the most down-to-Earth A-lister you’re ever going to meet. I was (and still am) a huge Bruce Dern fan, so for him to recognize my work at all meant the world to me (and still does). And ironically there was a writer’s strike going on at the time (which we have one going on right now), and it was just us and Fletch Lives shooting on the entire Universal lot, and we got those movies in right before the strike.”

Bruce Dern puts Gains in a chokehold in a still shot from The ‘Burbs (1989).

He then briefly stayed on the topic of the current writer’s strike; “I’ve been seeing the writing on the wall for this coming for a long time now. I was very aware that the residual checks had been becoming less and less and the industry was getting worse for awhile. That’s why I moved out to the southeast, it’s more live-able and also opened me up to the whole east market including, New York. Last year I did a movie in New Jersey called The Wrath of Becky, and that was a great role, and I’m pretty happy with it.”

With Halloween just around the corner, I also wanted to know Gains’ thoughts on his cameo appearance in Rob Zombie’s 2007 version of Halloween. He stated; “It’s pretty crazy how many times they’ve re-booted the movies at this point! But I think that Rob knows his horror, and does try to make a point to bring people from the genre into his films, so I was happy to be a part of that. I had a friend of mine who had worked with Rob before that gave me a really great piece of advice, which was to be prepared that Rob might just completely go off script if he doesn’t like the way something is going. And that turned out to be the greatest advice, because what Rob’s trying to find is the truth of a scene, and I really appreciate that. A lot of times directors get so caught up in the process of moving things along, they don’t stay in the process and try to make something good out of it.”

He went into greater detail; “So what was supposed to be one day’s worth of work turned into another because we kept working it and adding stuff to it. It was such a nasty, disturbing scene though that nobody wanted to hang around the monitor to watch it, and I’ve never seen that before. But I like the way Rob works, and he has a great sense of the vibe and design of a scene. He knows what he likes and what his audience likes, and has a very great sense of all that.

This very weekend (which happens to kick off with a Friday the 13th!) is primed to be a busy one for Gains, as he informed me; “There’s a haunted house out in the woods in North Carolina called the Haunted Pyramids, and my band will be playing two nights there on the 14th and 15th. So we’ll be playing for a bunch of horror fans out there. All the rest of the bands are going to be metal except ours, but we’re going to go out there and rock their asses off anyway! (Laughs).”

And with Halloween just around the corner, the last thing I wanted to know was whether or not Gains had any sort of personal annual traditions for the holiday at all (it should be noted, in addition to all of the films previously mentioned, Gains has also appeared in the likes of more recent seasonal films such as 2015’s The Funhouse Massacre and 2019’s Candy Corn). He told me; “I’m the worst (laughs), because like, what do I do for a living? I get dressed up in costumes! And I’m usually doing conventions around this time, so Halloween is usually my day off! (Laughs).”

Interview with Musician/Former Actor Nicholas “Nicko” Caruso By Jesse Striewski

Nicholas Caruso is a busy man to say the least; not only is he co-owner of one of the best local places around to find band shirts, Rock Stop (which has multiple locations in the central, FL area), he’s also a part of not one, but three separate tribute bands, including his most recent one, the Pearl Jam-inspired act, Black Ledbetter, which he leads.

Over the years, I’ve caught up with Nicholas (or “Nicko,” as he often goes by) a time or two, but had still yet to do an “official” interview with him (though the subject had been brought up on more than one occasion). Thankfully, we were able to finally put an end to that with a recent chat, just ahead of Caruso pulling double-duty with both Black Ledbetter and Nirvanna at Daytona’s Hard Rock Hotel this Friday, September 1.

I started our conversation off by inquiring about all three of Caruso’s acts and asking him to tell me a little more about each of them. He stated; “I’ve been a featured performer with Nirvanna as the Meat Puppets guitarist Curt Kirkwood. I’ve been doing that for eight years since this past February (wow time FLIES). I approached my band leader Ryan Salamone about starting a Linkin park tribute cause our singer for Nirvanna sounds EXACTLY like Chester Bennington, so honestly it was a no-brainer. His name is Eli Mitchell, and he’s so talented it’s disgusting! Ryan agreed wholeheartedly with the idea, and quickly put it into motion. We are called The Linkin Park Tribute Band (kept the name simple for marketing reasons I believe). I’m the guitarist and fill Brad Delson’s role.”

He continued; “It came to fruition rather quickly, and we’ve been touring all over the southeast U.S. Mainly Florida thus far, with respects to House of Blues New Orleans, but we are going to be all over the place in the upcoming year. I am also the merch manager for both bands. During the same conversation I had when I approached Ryan with the Linkin Park idea, I also informed him that last December I started a Pearl Jam tribute called Black Ledbetter, which I’m the singer and band leader for (Ryan owns the other two projects, while Black Ledbetter is mine).”

I wanted to know which one of said three acts was his personal favorite, and he informed me; “Black Ledbetter is my favorite – I get to be more animated as Eddie Vedder. I enjoy moving around a lot on stage, and the other two bands don’t leave much room for that by their design. Linkin park is also a lot of fun and the music is very rewarding when executed right. We are really tight, so it’s always an awesome experience. Nirvanna I also enjoy, however, I usually only play two, and on rare occasions three songs with them since the Meat Puppets only played three songs on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York. But nonetheless, it’s really cool and adds a great intimate moment to the Nirvanna set.”

As far as how long he’s been playing for, he told me; “I started learning guitar at age nine, but like most nine-year-old’s, I wasn’t mature enough to keep a practice schedule, and didn’t really start gaining any real skill until I was around twelve. Ironically the first song I ever learned on guitar was Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (Laughs). Never played that particular song in Nirvanna, but it’s still kinda neat that it was my first. My first passions though are power metal and prog metal, particularly Iron Maiden and Helloween, so my first bands for the first 15 years of my career focused on ’80s covers and older songs that were very responsible for the ’80s metal style (The Who, Arthur Lee and Love, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, many others from the ’60s and ’70s. All the finest that influenced all of my ’80s metal heroes).”

Of course I had to ask him about his childhood acting as well, which he stated; “I’ve done a lot of acting jobs as a child actor. My favorites would have to be Welcome Freshmen, a Pepsi commercial in 1992 with Lou Pinella when he managed the Cincinnati Reds, and the 1993 movie Cop and a Half. Henry Winkler directed that and he absolutely loved me, so it was an unparalleled experience and a great honor for me to work with such a legend.”

He elaborated; “I was a lead character in Welcome Freshmen, and at thirteen years old, that was a trip. I was “corrupted” during that time, and damn near grew up overnight. I was tutored during the film schedule for about five months, and when I came back to school all my friends had become my bullies and all my bullies had become my friends. It was WEIRD. But soon after that I started taking guitar really seriously and was learning Iron Maiden songs at sixteen, so I was about to enter the rabbit hole that has brought me where I am today.”

I also wanted to know who he would share the stage with if he had the choice between anyone (living or dead). He responded; “Oof, that’s a tough one! A small list would be Tina Turner, Arthur Lee, the Obscured by Clouds era of Pink Floyd, Iron Maiden, The Who, the Guess Who, the 1964 Brian Wilson Beach Boys lineup, the 1952 Four Freshmen lineup, Helloween, Filter, Cannibal Corpse, Midnight Oil, Living Colour, Katie Melua, Taylor Swift, and Mike Patton. I would include Candlebox among that list but I’ve played “Cover Me” with Kevin Martin and the Hi Watts at a sold out show in Tampa in 2003. So I’ve done that. And at this stage of the hand with Black Ledbetter, I would LOVE to play with stone Gossard and Mike McCready. I would also include Dying Fetus and Cattle Decapitation, but honestly I would only be able to bring merch sales ability and waterboy responsibilities to those two tables! (Laughs)”

As far as the Daytona Hard Rock show on the September 1 goes, Caruso assured me; “At Hard Rock Daytona Black Ledbetter opens up for Nirvanna. I will be performing with both bands. The fans can expect to have their faces melted off…”

Caruso also filled me in on some additional upcoming shows; “Black Ledbetter plays the Alley in Sanford on Sunday, November 5 with the Smashing Pixies. Nirvanna and the Linkin Park tribute has a multitude of gigs all over the state and I think a couple across the US soon too. Honestly we are all working SO much the easiest thing to do is go to our social media pages. Black Ledbetter has a Facebook page where we list EVERYTHING. Nirvanna and The Linkin Park Tribute Band have both Facebook and Instagrams and I believe our Linkin park tour schedule for the rest of the year is up, though it’s always subject to change since hurricanes and illness can strike sometimes, but also many more gigs are being booked daily so the schedule gets heavier often. Again any one interested should go to our Facebook pages and follow us!”

He ended with; “Thanks for talking with me today! I’m always down to answer any questions you may have and look forward to seeing you and everyone else in the future! Up The Irons, brother Jesse! And all the fans past, present and future! Viva Black Ledbetter!”

Interview with Monster Magnet Guitarist Phil Caivano By Jesse Striewski

Monster Magnet have always been one of those bands (from my home state of New Jersey, nonetheless) that I’ve always admired. While seeing the band live may still be one thing that alludes me, I couldn’t help but jump at picking the brain of longtime guitarist Phil Caivano once the chance to interview him presented itself to me, just after his debut solo album – simply titled Caivano – reached my desk.

One of the first things I wanted to ask Caivano was what made him decide to release solo music at this junction in time. He responded; “I finally had the time to explore the option of doing it. With Wendigo Productions involved it all started moving. I had some riffs and a few songs together. It was a matter of just committing to the process.”

I asked Phil who else performed on the record with him, and if it were fully recorded in New Jersey. He informed me; “[Monster Magnet drummer] Bob Pantella played drums and mixed. He’s the only other person involved with it. So fun working with Bob. Yes everything was recorded in NJ and Bob’s Freakshop Studio, and my Studio 13.”

I asked Caivano in his opinion which would be the go-to song for someone who had not yet heard the album, and he replied; “I’d say “Now Is Forever;” it’s the first song we released, and the first one I recorded with Bob.”

As far as taking the songs out live he informed me; “I’m thinking about doing it live if it makes sense. Some people have reached out to me to play if that’s the road I’m gonna go down. I have some people in mind as well.”

I was also curious as to how he felt the music on the album compared to his work in Monster Magnet, to which he stated; “Nothing really compares to Monster Magnet because Dave is so special. Such a great artist. The comparison is my guitar work. I play the way I play. I tried a few different things but my playing is how I do it.”

And as far as future touring with Monster Magnet goes? “Dave (Wyndorf) and I are talking about that now. Hopefully we can tour the USA and get back to Europe by 2024.”

I was always curious how Caivano originally came about the job as Monster Magnet guitarist back in 1998, and how familiar he was with their music at the time. He explained; “I was very familiar. Dave and I were friends long before Monster Magnet. I was at a lot of the early shows and around some of the records. Dave asked me to join after Powertrip was finished. I was living in LA when he made the record. I was back in NJ visiting when he asked.”

Lastly, I wondered if there were any obscure Monster Magnet songs that he’d want to pull from out of the vault, which ones they might be. He told me; “I love “Black Balloon” and “I Control, I Fly.” We’ve played them in the past. Always loved those songs.”

And with that, Caivano left with these parting words; “Thank You as well! Hope ya enjoy the record!! Rock ON!!!”

Interview with Lockhart Frontman Devon Kerr By Jesse Striewski

The moment Lockhart first passed by my radar, I knew there was just something unique about this trio of newcommers from Canada. Formed in recent times by frontman/mastermind Devon Kerr (formerly of Axxion and Midnight Malice), he quickly enlisted Cauldron’s Jason Decay to handle bass duties, who in turn brought on board Annihilator drummer Fabio Alessandrini, effectively making the project a “supergroup” in it’s own right. So it was far from a difficult decision to reach out to the band with some questions on my mind, and I was thrilled to swiftly hear back from Kerr himself, who provided me with answers to many of said questions.

Regarding the band’s origins, he explained; “The name Lockhart was an idea that came to me in 2014. I was fooling around with love songs, and wrote “No Chance in Heaven” way back then. I thought it was a half funny name for a love rock band. Eventually when it came time to name the band we stuck with it. But, hey maybe it’s after Lockhart, Texas… bands like Boston, Chicago, Toronto, London, and Europe name themselves after places (Laughs)!”

As far as putting together the missing pieces, he informed me; “Jason and I have been really close friends for over ten years; we’ve lived, worked, and played music together during that same amount of time. We both share a love for AOR, or essentially heavy music with huge hooks. Fabio was Jay’s friend and number one draft pick for drummer, and I wrote the music before asking anyone to play on the recordings. I play the synth, all guitars, and handle all vocals. The full length will feature Jason on backup vocals, and some guest guitarists, I hope. If we ever do live stuff we’ll have to get a guitar player, since my core role is synth and vocals.”

Kerr continued; “I wrote the songs, and it was a no-brainer to ask Jason to put his bass spin on things. I also knew he would have the perfect drummer for the project through his extended friend group…he suggested Fabio, and I’m glad he did! He’s perfect for the group, and gels with us flawlessly. Again, although I wrote the songs, I wanted both Jason and Fabio to make their parts their own, so they do deserve some real credit here!”

He elaborated further; “The songs turned out great because of (the two of) them. I’m trying to work a little bit closer with the other guys for the album when it comes to writing. Now that we’re solidified with the two other members, we can begin to incorporate the other guys’ songwriting creativity all while keeping the Lockhart sound you know so far.”

I wanted to know a little more about what lead Kerr to play the music he does, and he explained; “Guitar came first at maybe 11, or 12. I started playing piano at around 14, and got into actual sound design and the ins and outs of synthesizers in my mid-twenties. Self taught for the most part – I took music all through high school so that helped.” 

He continued even further; “First started playing guitar to bands like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, and whatever classic rock bands were on shirts in the local “rock t-shirt store” when I was first starting out. It developed more into metal, and then dove pretty deep into the ’80s underground (Icon, Tyran’ Pace, Gotham City). When I was about 23, I discovered that to me, AOR music got me pumped up the most. Foreigner, Survivor, Europe, Night Ranger, Van Zant, Alien, Old Michael Bolton, Chicago, Cher, Heart, Anything Desmond Child wrote and SO much more…if it had great synth, I was sold! You can’t go finding ’80s rock synth guys on every street corner, so I took on that role. I am a better guitarist, but I prefer keyboards.” 

And whether we see Lockhart on the road any time in the near future, Kerr informed me; “There are unfortunately no touring plans at the moment simply because of the responsibilities of being a grown up…hopefully one day we can make it happen again. And while there’s no touring plans yet, it certainly is something I hope we can one day pull off.”

Interview with Actor Stuart Fratkin By Jesse Striewski

Stuart Fratkin might not be the most recognized face from the ’80s and ’90s, but he certainly played a huge role to the entertainment world – not to mention my own world – during those eras. Appearing in such staple slapstick comedies as Teen Wolf Too and Ski School, not to mention a host of popular TV shows at the time, he no doubt graced both the big and small screens far too many times for one to even keep count.

I was recently able to pick Fratkin’s brain about his entire career, and found his answers both insightful and fascinating (as I so often do with many of my interviewees). But before I got into his war stories from years in the trenches of the acting field, I asked him to give readers an idea of what he’s been up to more recently. He informed me; “After some smaller parts in the early 2000’s I began to transition to the business world. I became partners in a shaved ice business that I got featured on several shows I guest starred on and eventually sold it. I realized I could not make a living for my family on $1.75 residuals from Divorce Court, so I took a job in the
technology industry and have been successful for the past 10 years or so. I reengaged with my commercial agent a few years ago and have been actively auditioning. My goal was to get back into entertainment after my kids were grown and off the payroll! (Laughs).”

I wondered if he would give me some backstory on just how he got into acting, and he enlightened me; “Classic story of, ‘I had the burning desire to entertain and make people laugh’ ever since I was a kid. I have vivid memories of making 8mm movies, arranging skits at elementary school and being an extra on Camp Grizzly, a pilot with the late, great Carl Ballentine in the late 70’s. My parents were moderately supportive and not until I showed my mom a check from Girls Just Want to Have Fun for $650 did she believe it was possible.”

Regarding his experience in said first film role in 1985’s Girls Just Want to Have Fun, he elaborated; “I got my SAG card on that movie. I was in a cold reading class with a casting director named Gino Havens who brought me in for the lead role. He was impressed enough that I was brought to meet the producers immediately. The role was eventually offered to newcomer Jonathan Silverman, otherwise…who knows?! I accepted the role of Sam and most of the experience was great except for Lee Montgomery. He sucked. After shooting my scene, my manager at the time came to find me and desperately asked if I already shot my part. I said I did, and she said, ‘they didn’t clear you with SAG before and now they have to Taft-Hartley you.’ That’s how I got into the union.”

Another early role that sticks out on his resume was an appearance on The Golden Girls in 1986. I asked Fratkin if he knew at the time what a special show he was a part of, and if he had much time to get to know the show’s stars while on set. He informed me; “Incredible. Had I have known then what I know now, I would have appreciated it more. I watched all of the rehearsals from the bleachers and reveled in their professionalism, candor, work ethic and warmth. I was fan of Maude growing up and working with Bea on our scene was a highlight from my early career. Guest star Polly Holiday yelled at me backstage on tape night because I tried to speak to her
while she was getting into character as the blind sister of Betty White. I responded
with, “Calm down. It’s only a sit-com, Flo.” Just kidding (Laughs).”

Aside from The Golden Girls, Fratkin made a number of guest spots on several other notable shows from that time frame, including The Facts of Life, Silver Spoons, and Sledgehammer!. I asked if he was a fan of any of these shows before appearing on them, and he said; “No. I was not a fan of any of them. Facts… was actually my first network show. I had the pleasure of meeting a dude on my first day of work that I bonded with because it was his first day of work, too. We were both a little uncomfortable, but we became pals and he was a good dude. His name was George Clooney. See what I did there?? I set you up and you were like, ‘who was it??’ and it turned out it was Clooney!! (Laughs). Anyway, I ran into him several times over the next few years, and he really is a good guy. The experiences were meh. Nothing earth shattering on either sets. I will say that after being in theater throughout high school and college, I felt very comfortable in front a live audience. Sledgehammer! was a lot of fun and kitschy. I did a lot of guest starring roles around that time, 1984-1987.”

Of course I had to ask what his experience in Teen Wolf Too was like, and if he had researched Jerry Levine’s portrayal of the Stiles character in the 1985 original or not prior to playing him in the 1987 sequel. He explained; “No. I had not seen the first film prior to auditioning for TWT. I received a script in early 1987 of the sequel and it was very funny, original and quirky. That’s not the movie that was made, which is too bad because it could have been a very good movie on its own rather than a retread of the original. I did not think it was in my best interest to see Jerry’s performance from the first film while auditioning and working on the movie. I thought about it but felt I needed to put my own spin on Stiles. I’ve mentioned this before in other podcasts but while working on TWT, I discovered that the Stiles character has different first names in TW and TWT. He’s called “Rupert” in the first one and “Ridley” in the second one. In my mind, they were related, but not the same. Hence, my interpretation was my own. I ended up seeing the original after the shoot was over. It’s a very different movie than the second one and Jerry was outstanding.”

And as far as what it was like to work with such legendary actors on the set like John Astin, Jason Bateman, Mark Holton, and the late James Hampon, Fratkin says; “I couldn’t believe my life! All of 1987 was a dream. After I booked the job, the fun began. We shot the movie at Montclair College in and around Montclair, Upland and Claremont, California. One of the lasting memories I have is upon meeting Jason, Mark and the rest of the cast, we bonded in Jason’s suite getting high and drunk. It was a great time for a bunch of 20 somethings. Being a fan of films from the 70’s, I was star struck meeting Jim Hampton. He was impressed that when I met him, the first thing I said was, ‘hello Caretaker!’ He was a sweet guy and I hope he rests in peace. I’ve spoken about my overall experience on TWT as not being fantastic due to a vicious prick executive from the studio, Atlantic. Whenever he was on set, no one wanted to go near him for fear of being chastised or criticized. Observing behavior on set, if director Chris Leitch had a tail, it was tucked firmly between his legs a la Buffalo Bill.”

Fratkin has also appeared in a number of non-comedic roles as well, guesting on the likes of Matlock, Freddy’s Nightmares, and the sorely underrated Vietnam series Tour of Duty. I asked him to tell me a little about these experiences as well, and he explained; Matlock is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m referring to the residuals, not the performance (Laughs). Long hair, New York dialect and a stereotype punk is a recipe for a poor and laughable role. Andy (Griffith) was cranky and unapproachable. It seemed he was at the end of his Matlock-ed contract. If you’ve seen that episode; picture Andy’s lines being written out on the pool table, furniture and by the camera. Opie would be ashamed (Laughs).”

He continued; “Absolutely loved Tour of Duty. This episode was directed by the great producer Ron Schwary (Tootsie, Ordinary People, Batteries Not Included). I had a very high opinion of myself at the end of 1988 and went into read for this show, booked it and off to Hawaii to shoot it. It was a fantastic experience and one of the highpoints in my dramatic career. The cast was great led by Terry Knox and Stephen Caffrey. It was a very rewarding experience highlighted by Ron, who was an absolute sweetheart. If you’re a cinephile, watch Tootsie again. Ron plays the agent in the scene with Director Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman in the Russian Tea Room.
Freddy’s Nightmares was a lot of fun, too. This was around the time when I was trying to grow up and play different age groups and be more of a character actor.

Fans may also recall Fratkin had co-starring roles on a handful of short-lived TV series, namely The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, and They Came From Outer Space. I asked if he considered these to be some of his career highlights, and if he had wished they would have perhaps caught on more and lasted longer. He replied; “To address the former and latter questions; hell yes. Beans came first. It was the inaugural Fox season and they were greenlighting everything. Conceived and directed by Savage Steve Holland (Better Off Dead, One Crazy Summer), it was way ahead of its time. Quirky, fun, entertaining and a little odd. I was still young in industry years and felt spoiled that I booked this role as it was fairly easy. For most of my career, I’ve been able to improvise on most of my auditions and it served me very well on these two different jobs. Beans was an unfinished script, meaning it was still evolving when we shot a 10-minute pilot presentation in 1987 at Cal Arts in Valencia, California. The rest of the shows were shot in Vancouver, BC (Hollywood, North) when other series were filming at the same time including Wiseguy, 21 Jumpstreet and the movie Stakeout. It was a great time and often a big party. I made a lot of friends on that shoot and was heartbroken when I got the fateful call in my apartment in North Hollywood that Fox had cancelled the show.”

He continued; “Three years later, I worked on a movie called Ski School where I met Dean Cameron. I took that role knowing that I would get a chance to work with Dean and there
would be a good chance that mayhem would ensue. That job led to Dean and I working together and a comedic shorthand was created between the two of us. We had a chance to audition for TCFOS together and aside from having an amazing time, the process was nothing less than magical. It’s not often in an actor’s life that they meet someone and they are just symbiotic. That was Dean and me. I sorely wish that magic would have continued because I firmly believe, given the right vehicle, we would have gone down as being inseparable.”

I asked him to elaborate more on his working relationship with Cameron, as well as how he feels today about the previously-mentioned cult classic Ski School the two did together in 1990. He stated; “The answer above addresses part of the question, but I had been aware of Dean for
several years prior to eventually meeting him at the airport to get on a plane to Canada to shoot Ski School. Dean had a reputation in the biz as the one to beat. If you were auditioning for the offbeat, best pal, comedy relief dork, Dean got all those roles because he was/is incredibly talented and gifted. After a few years of losing roles to him, I wanted to join him, not beat him.
And…love Ski School. Another fun time with the cast, crew and Whistler. No other opportunity I had in my career could I say that the producers came to actors and said, “we’re going to be short on time in the movie, can you guys write some scenes?” All of them are in the final cut. A fun, sexy, stupid cult film that’s fun to get drunk and watch. I fully endorse that!”

And as far as why he didn’t appear in Ski School 2 a few years later? He explained; “Dean told me it was because they didn’t have the money. I secretly think it was because I did not go to the photo shoot for Ski School 1 and I was being an asshole about it. I regret that decision because I think it cost me that job and maybe a Ski School 3: Fitz Marries Paulette (Laughs).”

As the ’90s went on, Fratkin appeared on more staple shows from that era such as Doogie Howser, M.D., Baywatch, and Friends; as far as what those were like, he told me; “Friends was great. I read for the pilot episode when it was called Friends Like Us for Chandler, so the producers remembered me. They were awesome. It was a great little role, and I came back for a second episode later in the season, and that scene was eventually cut (another residual windfall).The other shows kept my wife and I fed for a while, but those kinds of guest starring roles will not buy you a house. I was making the rounds and trying to maintain a foothold while I was growing up and trying to transition to adult roles like Melrose Place, Murder One, Judging Amy (twice), NYPD Blue (twice) and Courthouse.”

Another book mark in Fratkin’s career was his appearance in the 1998 summer blockbuster Godzilla. I was curious how he felt looking back on the film, which performed far better finaically than it did critically. He stated; “I remember quite vividly how incredibly excited I was to be part of it. Being a huge fan of the Godzilla movies from my childhood (hence the “Godzirra” reference I wrote into Ski School). My wife and I went to the premiere at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, and were thrilled to see my scenes were completely intact and received quite well. Overall, I was disappointed with the final cut. I wasn’t a fan but yikes, they play it a lot!”

Fast forward to some of Fratkin’s most recent acting credits were on such memorable shows as Spin City and Malcolm in the Middle in the 2000’s. Regarding these roles he noted; “Not a lot to say about these gigs. I was still trying to figure out where my career was going. Spin City was fun and as fan, loved working with the cast. This was Charlie Sheen’s first season and he was still kind of feeling his way around a sitcom. Since I was familiar with Heather from Melrose Place, it was fun to work with her again. My part was small, and I remember really needing a job, any job. After working as an actor for almost 15 years, I was reaching a point where I needed to make some decisions. With a mortgage, two young kids and a decent stream of residuals, it was almost time for a break. Malcolm was the last job that I remember thinking, if I wanted to make a good living, three lines on a sitcom was not going to cut it.”

Before our conversation was finished, I asked if we’ll be seeing him in anything in the near future. He assured me; “I hope so! I feel the need to express myself and hope to get some opportunities. That was the plan all along!”

Interview with Krokus Bassist Chris von Rohr By Jesse Striewski

Swiss rockers Krokus have always been one of those bands that, while they may not have achieved some of the same heights as many of their contemporaries here in America, they’ve still always held a special place for me (and even if I sometimes do overlook them for awhile, something will always draw me back to them eventually). So it was a sheer thrill to be able to correspond recently with founder and bassist Chris Von Rohr, who I was able to have some meaningful words with, despite the distance between us.

One of the first things I asked was what the status was for the band’s “farewell” tour, which was postponed in 2020 due to the pandemic. Chris explained; “Well at the moment we are looking at the world and what is happening, and wondering when – hopefully soon – it will be back to a “normal” situation. But of course we are in contact with each other, everybody is playing either with side projects, or spending time with their instruments. Musicians want to play music, you know? Day by day we hope that the clouds disappear soon, and rock and roll comes back into our lives, so we can continue our tour that was interrupted.”

I also asked if the band might have one more studio album in them before they retire, to which he stated; “At the moment we are not planning a new album. We have so many songs that we cannot even play live because there are so many albums, and we personally think there are enough Krokus songs out there. But you never know, sometimes maybe a new song might come out, but the necessity for a new album is not there. We’d much rather play gigs, that’s what we miss most.”

I was also curious if their might be any chance of a re-release for the band’s obscure 1976 self-titled debut album. Chris told me; “Yeah it definitely is obscure, and has nothing to do with the original lineup of Krokus. It was an album which I am the only survivor of it, and it went more in the direction of prog rock. It was really a…search. We don’t play songs from that period, and I don’t really see a necessity to revisit that on a wider scale. The Krokus fans we have now, I don’t think they would particularity love it.”

He continued; “And for us, the original is the band that played on Metal Rendez-vous, Hardware, One Vice at a Time, and the famous Headhunter albums. And then after the break coming back with Hoodoo, the Dirty Dynamite album, the greatest live album we had called Long Stick Goes Boom; that is the “real” lineup, the one that made it “big” and has the real sound which we want to transport with Krokus.”

Before eventually settling on the bass, Von Rohr had actually started as a drummer. I asked if these changes were due to preference or necessity, and he informed me; “Yeah, my way was a long way. As you know, I started as a drummer, and as we went on, for us to put on the “best” formation, I had to change instruments. I went from drummer, to singer, to bass player. It was about finding the right combination of the right people who blended perfectly together. For me it was interesting because as a producer a little later on, it’s good to know all instruments a little bit, you know? And I still play a little of each today.”

Shortly after the Headhunter album in 1983, Chris and the band parted ways for a bit, with him occasionally re-joining before he would come back permanently in 2008. I asked how he felt regarding some of the material the band released during his time away, and he stated; “Well the unfortunate split we had in the mid-80s was not very good for either of us. We lost direction during my absence. I didn’t consider it “bad” music, but I didn’t really consider it real Krokus, or what the fans really expect from Krokus, which is basically what was on the Headhunter or the Metal Rendez-vouz albums. That is the essence of Krokus, what made us successful. But fortunately we found each other again, and we are wiser today and we know what went wrong, and why it did.”

He continued; “It was definitely a big exhaustion, with bad management and some sad stories we don’t even want to talk or think about much. Since our reunion in 2008, we’ve played big festivals and have had number one albums, but unfortunately we couldn’t get things in America on that scale, because I think a lot of what was released after Headhunter did a lot of damage, and that’s why we concentrated on Europe. Over here they know us better, and after the reunion they instantly got it, that that’s real Krokus. Let’s see, I really hope that one day we will make it back to America for our fans.”

He continued further; “I do think this incarnation of Krokus is absolutely the strongest, because it unites all of the band members which were important, and it has three guitar players! If you listen to the last live album I mentioned, you feel that is a band on its peak; it’s an energy that has never been that strong before, as well as an experience which comes out of the playing. When you get a little bit older, you know how to play those songs best. I wish American fans can see this band live, because it is not an old band, it’s like young dogs on the loose. It’s absolutely exciting to play with Krokus.

Having gone through a rough breakup the same year I originally gotten the Headhunter album, I always associated the power ballad (and the band’s most well-known hit) “Screaming in the Night” with my own personal experience. So I always wondered if the band anything or anyone specifically in mind while writing the track. Chris explained; “What a ballad, definitely. A special mood, and a special, semi-dark ballad with a lot of feelings in it, a drama ballad in a way. It was not about any one special thing, but it is probably the most popular Krokus song. If you look at Spotifiy, it has millions and millions of views, and we always love to play it still, because it’s not like a commercialized ballad, it has this rough edge still, and we love that song.”

And as far as the song’s music video goes, which can no doubt be described as “out there,” Chris said; “A bit inspired by Conan the Barbarian, maybe, we were basically not too happy with it. We thought it was a bit too much with effects, and it looks almost like a L.S.D. trip (Laughs). But at the time it was played a lot on MTV, I don’t know why. Hopefully because of the song of course. But some people love it, and it’s a great song, and that’s what counts. But if you ask any band, videos are always a bit of a pain in the ass! We are not models, and we don’t like photo shoots. We like playing on stage and kicking ass, that’s what we like!”

I also asked if perhaps there were any songs in the bands catalog he really enjoyed that might not be as well known. He told me; “I could listen to hundreds of songs from our earliest stages which I still like, but what really makes it is what you play live. But if I could name three songs that maybe are not so well known in America, it’d definitely first be a song called “Winning Man.” That was the favorite song of Lemmy’s who, when we played with Motorhead, would almost every night come to the side of the stage to listen to that song. Then “Fire” from Metal Rendez-Vous, a great power ballad and dramatic song. And from newer times, it would definitely be “Hoodoo Woman,” which at the time is one of the most well known songs of the band here in Europe.”

Although I rarely touch base on politics or world events during interviews, it seemed impossible not to ask his thoughts on the current events unfolding in the Ukraine knowing how close in proximity Chris is. He stated; “Well, to talk about the world and what is going on would definitely take us all night probably, wouldn’t it? But as a book writer, I definitely reflect a lot, and I’m always astonished how it is still possible that human beings – which have developed so much, in so many ways over the past one-hundred years – can still be back in the medieval ages it seems? This is hard for me to understand that with all of these inventions and progress that the human being has made, that he is still just an animal. That is the unfortunate reality.”

Chris continued; “We as a band try not to go too much into politics, because, as a guy who studies history as well, it’s always a little bit strange to hear rock musicians talk about politics, because most of the time they don’t know what they say, or know history enough to really understand it. One very strong diplomat, I don’t know if it was maybe Henry Kissinger who said, ‘The more you look into a war, the more complicated it gets,’ and you don’t know any more really, who is the guilty, and who is the not guilty. And the whole black and white sides we see in the media, is not helping, you know? It divides the population in two parts, and this I don’t like. It might be a little naive, but with our music, we try to unite the people. Because there is not only god and bad, there is not only black and white, and we really should come together as The Beatles said, and stop all of this aggression, because this is not what we like. I grew up a Woodstock kid in the ’60s, and I don’t believe in all these wars and aggressiveness.”

Interview with Nova Rex Vocalist John Bisaha and Bassist Kenny Wilkerson By Jesse Striewski

Local rockers Nova Rex are far from strangers to Rewind It Magazine; not only have we photographed a concert or two of theirs over the years, I’ve interviewed bassist and founder Kenny Wilkerson (who has become as much of a personal acquaintance as he has been a supporter/feature of our little publication) more than any other musician I can recall at this point.

Now, Kenny and the guys are back, kicking off 2022 with the recent announcement that John Bisaha, longtime frontman for British rock act The Babys, who also briefly sang with Nova Rex back in 2012, has replaced (now former) lead singer Adrian Adonis. Once again, Kenny and I – along with said newcomer Bisaha – recently caught up to discuss all things Nova Rex.

One of the first things I wanted to know was what exactly was the catalyst that finally brought Bisha and Nova Rex together again. John explained; “Kenny finally nailed what I want in my rider for shows – Good & Plenty candy! It’s my favorite, and he said he will keep me stocked! (Laughs). Seriously though – we are all looking to get out there and jam. This pandemic has kicked the crap out of everyone. Life is short. Gigs are fun. Let’s jam!”

I was also curious what the first order of business will be for Nova Rex now with John at the forefront, and Kenny stated; “Buying more eyeliner/tighter pants and recording new music.” Of course I also wanted to know how splitting with (said former frontman) Adonis went, and if he and the band were on good terms or not now. Kenny informed me; “It went as good as it could go, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Another thing I wondered was how well acquainted John was with the other two current members of Nova Rex, guitarist Greg Polcari (formerly of Britny Fox) and Shawn Lowery, prior to joining the band. He stated; “Greg and I had some communication last year with a couple of tunes – get the feel for some tracks. Now Shawn – is a different story – we go WAAAAAAY back. To last week…” (Laughs).

I also wanted to know from John how being a member of Nova Rex compares so far to fronting The Babys. He noted; “You’ll have to ask me after the first gig! It’s been a while since performing Nova Rex tunes; I did two shows many moons ago – and the only constant member is that bass player guy. Fronting Nova Rex is a way different gig than The Babys – a little more out of control, a LOT more cheese!”

And lastly, I asked if the upcoming Bike Week shows the band have set beginning Mar. 5th at The Legendary Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach, will be the first to officially feature John on stage with them again. Kenny stated; “Yes, it’s a perfect place to showcase him at a hometown show and we are adding new songs, new dates, new look, and more mayhem as we speak!”

John Bisha (left) and Kenny Wilkerson on stage with Nova Rex in 2012.

Interview with Actor Monte Markham By Jesse Striewski

Late last year I spoke with legendary actor Monte Markham to specifically discuss his role as Clay Hollingsworth on The Golden Girls for an anniversary piece I was working on at the time for Rewind It Magazine. But with so much more material leftover from our over thirty minute long phone conversation, it felt like a waste not to print the rest (better late than never as they say).

After all, aside from his recurring role on The Golden Girls in the late ’80s/early ’90s, Markham’s acting career spans as far back as the ’60s, appearing on such shows as Mission: Impossible, Hawaii Five-0, The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote, and Baywatch, as well as such classic films as Midway and Airport ’77, just to name a few.

One of the questions I had asked him regarding his appearances on The Golden Girls was how he felt it compared to other TV shows he’s done. He replied; “As an actor I’ve done just about every type of performance you can do. But four-camera sitcoms in many ways are the most difficult to do because, one; it’s comedy, and two; it’s rewritten everyday at rehearsals. And the camera is in your face, but it’s about 20 or 30 yards away, so it’s like you feel like you’re on stage, but there’s an intimacy of the lens, so you have to adjust performance.I did several of them (sitcoms); The Mary Tyler Moore Show was really a good playing ground on them.”

I also asked why he felt this shows have endeared so many years later, and he stated; “Even with a movie you’ve seen numerous times before, why do you find yourself still staying with it? Because it’s a good film. It’s like with The Mary Tyler Moore show; I did the second episode after the pilot, and I can tell you, the cast were all very nervous about it because the guy who had directed the pilot wasn’t available. I remember Lou Grant coming up to me and asking, ‘Is this funny?’ (Laughs), and I reassured him, ‘No, no, it’s terrific!’ But it was that damn good, and that’s why they’re still in reruns around the world constantly. The interesting thing is, rather than just being old, a good show plays to a whole new audience.”

He also explained what he has done since many of his most memorable roles; “In ’92 I was still doing Baywatch in syndication and playing the Captain, which was great. I had an opportunity to form a company with my wife and son, and we did documentary production for A&E, which lead to doing the first shows for The History Channel. And I didn’t know from there we’d be producing, writing, and directing these documentaries for the next twenty years. It was a great ride, and I was able to travel all over the world, but I couldn’t act at that time because it was impossible to schedule anything, since we were always on the road.”

He continued; “Then in about 2010, we figured we had done about everything we could with that, and it was time to bring it in. So I went back into acting, which was very interesting…a whole different time with streaming, and the whole world being able to watch anything at any time. It’s a different business, a different world now. We just recently had a 30th anniversary party for Baywatch after they updated and remixed it, and the color and everything is spectacular. It’s a whole new looking show, but they couldn’t use the same music because it was tied up in all various kinds of licensing, so they had to re-record it.”

The last thing I wanted to know was what his thoughts were on the (embarrassing) 2017 Baywatch remake. He told me; “Well, in general the remake of Baywatch is pretty abysmal. Baywatch (the show) was what it was; sure, it was a lot of T&A and beautiful girls running in slow motion, but also had some really family-oriented, life lessons in there as well…just a lot of lightweight stuff, but it caught on. I remember back when we were doing the pilot, and looking at the real LA lifeguards around on set who were like, ‘Give me a break!’ (Laughs), even though the first two girls they cast could actually swim really well, but then they kind of got away from that. But when they do a remake these days, they throw all of what made it successful in the first place out the door, making it absurd, so it’s like just basically making fun of itself.”

Interview with Actress Adrienne Barbeau By Jesse Striewski

No matter how many interviews I might do in my lifetime, I never tire of having the chance to get inside of the minds of celebrities I’ve admired for most of my life. Actress Adrienne Barbeau is no exception; from watching her at an early age in reruns of Maude, to late night viewings of horror/action classics such as The Fog, Escape From New York, Swamp Thing, or Creepshow, she has always been a standout figure in my world. So it was with great honor I was able to ask her a few brief questions recently for Rewind It Magazine.

I wanted to start at the beginning, and asked if she’d enlighten me just how she began acting, and landed her first role on the previously mentioned ’70s show Maude alongside Bea Arthur (and if she was ever approached to eventually guest star on her later series The Golden Girls). She informed me; “I started acting on stage in a community theater in my hometown and eventually moved to NYC to (hopefully) work on Broadway. My first Broadway show was Fiddler on the Roof; then I went on to play Rizzo in the original Broadway production of Grease. That led to my being cast in Maude. I was incredibly fortunate to do such an important, ground-breaking sitcom; I loved every minute of it. Especially loved playing Bea’s daughter. She was the absolute best in every way. But, no, I was never approached about appearing on The Golden Girls. Not sure how they would have worked that out.”

As far as how she eventually came to be known as a ‘scream queen,’ starting with the inclusion in then-husband John Carpenter’s 1980 film The Fog, Adrienne explained; “I never set out to act in horror films specifically. I wasn’t even aware of the genre, really. But I was offered the role of Stevie Wayne in The Fog and in those days, if you were known for your work on television, you couldn’t get hired to do movies. So when The Fog came along, I jumped at the chance. None of us knew, back in 1979, that the film would still be as much loved today as it was then.” And as far as the 2005 remake goes? “I haven’t seen the remake. Probably never will.”

Having worked with the legendary late Donald Pleasance on the 1981 classic John Carpenter film Escape From New York, I had to know what it was like to be on that set. She told me; “One of the best parts about filming Escape…was getting to know Donald Pleasance. He was so witty, so funny, there were times I couldn’t start a scene because he had me laughing so hard. All the men on that set were great to work with, every single one of them.”

One role Barbeau will perhaps always be remembered for is the obnoxious booze-pounding Billie in 1982’s Creepshow. I was curious not only what it was like working with the late Hal Holbrook, but also having special effects maestro Tom Savini “off” her on screen (and what it was like revisiting the series on a semi-recent episode). She stated; “I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you with my answers about Creepshow. I loved working with Hal, and with Fritz, but I honestly don’t remember anything about Snuffy (Tom Savani) and the special effects. I was pleased to be asked to appear in the recent series and so enjoyed working with Greg Nicotero. Obviously my role in (the episode) “Grey Matter” wasn’t as memorable as Billie, but it was fun to work with Tobin Bell again (our third time working together – we played incestuous siblings in an episode of Criminal Minds!) and getting to know Giancarlo Esposito. Aside from our episode, I haven’t watched the series – I’m not a big horror fan – but glad to know it was picked up and is so successful.”

Barbeau has also done her share of voice acting work, starting with 1982’s The Thing, and continuing into bit parts in such films and animated shows as Demolition Man, Judge Dredd, and Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. When asked what drew her to this field, she noted; “I was drawn to voice acting when my son Cody (Carpenter) was born. It was something I could do and still be a full-time mom; I wasn’t about to leave him for 14 hours a day to do a TV series. John asked me to voice the computer in The Thing, and, if I remember correctly, the other three films you mention were simply offers that came through my voice-over agent. I did have to audition for Catwoman, though, in Batman: The Animated Series. I remember because it was just a thirty-second recording I did in my agent’s office, and they called me about a month later to say I’d been cast.”

Also an accomplished author, Barbeau explained where some of the inspiration has come for her writing; “Ali McGraw has an autobiography titled Moving Pictures. I was taken with the style in which she wrote; not a soup to nuts detailing of every minute of her life. That’s the only book that influenced me when time came to put my stories down on paper. I cared more about how I said what I had to say than the content of what I was saying. Since the memoir, I’ve written three vampyre novels about a scream queen who is the head of a vampyre clan of A-list Hollywood actors. Sort of a comedy – romance – thriller.  And I’ve just finished co-authoring a collection of stories and memories from over a hundred actors who appeared on Broadway and in the national touring companies of the original production of Grease. Grease…Tell Me More, Tell Me More! will be published by the Chicago Review Press next year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the show. It’s funny and moving and fascinating.”

And as for what’s coming up for Barbeau?…”Well, I have several horror films in post-production, and Unearth, a film whose release got waylaid by the pandemic, is now streaming on the major platforms. The next thing you’ll be able to see me in is Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop, scheduled to air in November.”


 

Interview with Actor Keith Coogan By Jesse Striewski

Chances are if you grew up in the late ’80s/early ’90s such as myself, you remember actor Keith Coogan. Not only did he appear in numerous commercials (his first acting job was a spot for McDonnald’s), and popular shows on TV at the time such as Knight Rider and Silver Spoons, he was also lucky enough to work alongside two of the most memorable bombshells of their time, Elizabeth Shue in 1987’s Adventures in Babysitting, and Christina Applegate in 1991’s Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead. Recently, I was able to sit down and speak with Coogan during a candid phone conversation about these experiences, and so much more.

I instantly wanted to start at the beginning and discuss what it was like making his first movie, a voice role in the 1981 Disney film The Fox and the Hound. He told me; “Yeah, no real huge memories of that! I came from a real big showbiz family with my great-grandfather in Vaudeville, then my grandfather in silent films and television, and my mother was a comedy writer, so they knew it’s a hard way to make an easy living. And I had worked my way up through TV, doing lots of commercials and guest appearances on great shows like CHiPS, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Eight is Enough, Mork & Mindy, and Laverne & Shirley. My mom, or “momager” was the one that took me around, and almost everything with a kid in it I auditioned for. And we got a voiceover job for Disney when I was eight; it was thrilling, but really only like three or four days of work spread over months and months. And they recorded the voices singularly…it wasn’t until Robin Williams was doing Aladdin years later that they decided to bring in whoever he was doing a scene with due to his improv nature.”

He continued; “We started in ’78, and of course the hound was played by Corey Feldman, who I’ve been friends with for decades now. And then Don Bluth left the production and took a lot of animators with him, and they had to shut down before hiring new people to finish the film. And by the time it came out in ’81, I was eleven and had been doing more TV and stuff, so it was kind of an after thought like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s out’ (Laughs). I know how grateful I am to be in a Disney movie, and some say it’s their last classically-animated film before they used computers full-blown on their next production. I think it’s a terrific, sweet film, and I think it made $64 million dollars at the box office, which was a record for them at the time, too.” He added one final thought; “And despite what it says on IMDB, Kurt Russell did NOT record his dialogue wearing Snake Plissken’s jacket (Laughs).”

I also wanted to get into some of those old TV roles he took part of, starting with working with the late Robin Williams on Mork & Mindy; “Oh gosh, working with him, and Jonathan Winters, and of course the anchor holding the show down, Pam Dawber, was so great! And this was actually the last episode to ever air, and they knew they weren’t necessarily going to get picked up for another season, so the set kind of had a dire mood to it. But there was still that spark of creativity there from Williams and Winters, although Jonathan was much more on his own planet (Laughs).”

Of course I had to ask him about Silver Spoons as well; “Rick managed a rock band called Splat, which I was the keyboard player for. And they were going to go on a Star Search kind of thing before their singer got sick, and so Rick had to sing, hence the title of the episode, “Rick Sings.” It was kind of a precursor to future roles I would play, but it was more surfer rather than stoner. I also got to work with Alfonso Ribeiro and Billy Jayne, and it was a welcoming, fun set with the video games and the train, and I think I got about ten feet into the house before three guys came up to me with their satin ’80s jackets (Laughs). And all of the video games on the set had unlimited credits, so you could just walk up and play any one of them! But they didn’t typically have the train out and lying around, so there was probably a ‘no riding the train’ rule!” He went on; “But the audiences on sitcoms used to throw me off. I probably did six or seven more of them, too, including Growing Pains and Just the Ten of Us. And they always were nerve racking in front of a live audience! I remember my entrance I did for the Laverne & Shirley episode I did; I opened the door and just cracked up, so we had to re-shoot it at the end of the night (Laughs).”

And aside from sitcoms, he was also on another favorite ’80s show, the previously-mentioned Knight Rider; “That was amazing! David Hasselhoff was particularity awesome and fun to work with, and I worked with my uncle Don Stroud, who played one of the biker gang members. We shot around southern California, and one of the coolest shots we did was at Mockingbird Square, which was Clock Tower Square at Universal Studios. And the bait shop we filmed in was the diner from Back to the Future. So that was fun to not only get to shoot there, but also ride around in K.I.T.T.!”

As far as his movies go, I asked if he felt Adventures in Babysitting is the one he will always be best remembered for; “It’s entirely subjective to people, but I think for me, it’s a split between that and Don’t Tell Mom...And regarding its 2016 remake, he said; “It was the one-hundredth Disney Channel original movie, and I went to the premiere when it came out, and it was great, lots of fun! The original was stretching the PG-13 and was limited to a certain audience, whereas the G-rated version was more for a younger generation. But it rings a lot of nostalgia bells with some of the little Easter eggs in there. But still, totally different story and tone, but I loved it! And Coogan even explained a little what co-star Elizabeth Shue has been up to recently (despite not having kept in contact with her); “She was involved with a recent article on all the things you ever wanted to know about Adventures in Babysitting answered, and it’s fantastic! They cover everything from the dance scene in the beginning, to the Playboy, to “Babysitter’s Blues.”‘

I also wondered if he had kept in touch with his former Don’t Tell Mom…co-star Christina Applegate, who recently announced a MS diagnosis; “We actually spent some time running in the same circles before shooting the movie, so it was a great pleasure to get to work with her, having already known how talented she was. She’s a total professional, and it’s interesting that both of these films kind of rest these huge budgets on the shoulders of teenagers! But I know that she’s gone through a lot, but she’s a trooper, and just fantastic, and I wish her all the best…sending out good vibes to her. And as far as how close Coogan was in reality to his character Kenny in the film? He tells me; “I was a nerd, a geek, and a “Dexter” as we used to call it in middle and high school (Laughs). So I wasn’t much like my character at all, I didn’t listen to the rock music like Kenny, or the punk music like Mitch in Cousins. But director Stephen Herek was very supportive in helping me find my character. But I loved it, and there was no way I was passing up the role of Kenny.”

One thing often somewhat forgotten about Coogan are his brushes with the action genre, such as the 1991 film Toy Soldiers; “I think they wanted to forget it when it came out (laughs), meaning it did good business, but you know, nothing to write home about. But Louis Gossett, Jr., what a legend, and Denholm Elliot, another legend! I had a great cast to work with, from Sean Astin to Wil Wheaton, and Shawn Phelan who has now passed. There was also Andrew Divoff who is pretty “method,” I don’t think I saw him smile once until we were done shooting (laughs). And the late R. Lee Ermey; at this point I had already done Adventures in Babysitting with Vincent D’Onofrio from Full Metal Jacket, but now I’m working with the Gunnery Sergeant himself, so I was just over the top! But it was an interesting mix-and-match movie…basically Die Hard meets Dead Poets Society (Laughs).”

In more recent times, Coogan even appeared as himself in the 2019 Kevin Smith film Jay & Silent Bob Reboot, and I asked him to briefly tell me about the experience; “Kevin had said something interesting along the lines of, ‘before I started making movies, I watched a lot of movies.’ So he really has a soft spot for nostalgia and for anyone that came before him. And having Chris Hemsworth at the end credits say – as Thor – “The dishes are done man,” I crapped my pants a little when I first saw that! (Laughs).”

While I could continue even further with more from our hour-long conversation, I’ll end things on this note due to time (perhaps I’ll get to the rest in future pieces), but those in the New Jersey area can actually catch Coogan at the Chiller Theatre Expo in Parsippany from the 29th-31st of this month. Regarding this event he stated; “It’s their anniversary for the convention, and it’s going to be a riot and a huge blowout! A lot of great guests, cosplay, and screenings, so it should be amazing!”