AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE ALLRED

BY CHRIS GRAVES

CHRIS GRAVES: For those who do not know, what is your background and how were you introduced to the world of View Askew and Kevin Smith?

MIKE ALLRED: Well, I’m a big movie nut and a big supporter of “indie” anything, so CLERKS was on my radar early on. So, at the next ComiCon I went to I literally ran into Kevin Smith and his producer Scott Mosier. WE expressed mutual affection, and then they asked if I’d contribute to the opening credits to flick no. 2, MALLRATS, which I did. And that was followed by an invitation to do the entire opening credits sequence for CHASING AMY as well as prop art.

CG: What inspired you to become a comic book artist/writer?

MA: It was just always there. It’s what me and my big brother Lee did as kids for fun, and when, as an adult, I didn’t know how to turn a screenplay into a movie–I drew it and it became acareer.

CG: How did “Madman” come about and what were some of his influences?

MA: Virtually everything influenced Madman. I’d been doing some scattered esoteric work via my anthologies GRAPHIQUE MUSIQUE, CREATURES OF THE ID, and GRAFIK MUZIK, and was haungry to do stuff that my kids would dig, stuff that lit me up as a kid, so I dug back into my “fave file” and my favorite character at the time, Frank Einstein, was given a costume and became MADMAN.

CG: What was your experience like on the set of “Chasing Amy” and what was it like drawing Bluntman and Chronic?

MA: A wonderful time. Highly cherished memories. It was a big kick watching Kevin and Scott at work, and meeting Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, Casey Affleck, Ethan Suplee, Joey Lauren Adams, among other genuinely nice and enthusiastic creative people. It’s been a treat to watch their careers take off.

CG: Can you tell me about the films “Eyes To Heaven” and “Astroesque”?

MA: Sure. I took a little time, following the El Mariachi/Clerks “no-budget” models to make a couple films with my pal, Shane Hawks, and our rag tag group of friends. ETH is an arty horror flick from the deep bowels of Shane’s sick brain, and Astroesque is my sci fi riff on the ambiuguity of life that tied into my RED ROCKET 7 project, which included a comic book series about the history of rock n roll told from the perspective of an alien clone (ten year anniversary edition due out in late september), and an album for my band, THE GEAR.

CG: How did you come to meet your wife Laura and what role does she play in your professional life?

MA: We met during our first few weeks at college. I asked if she wanted to go for a walk. She did, and we’ve been walking and talking together ever since. She is my everything–my best sounding board, my partner, and the being that injects color into my life and art.

CG: Were you ever approached about a “Madman” animated series or video game?

MA: I was. Yes. I’ve always insisted on a live action film first to establish the tone I want if it is to leave the comic book page.

CG: What is the current status of the “Madman” movie? Is Robert Rodriguez still attached? Is Johnny Depp involved in some capacity?

MA: Johnny has no official attachment beyond speculation. Robert has retained the option for a decade now. I just finished a screenplay with George “Swimming With Sharks” Huang, and the three of us will make the film in the Austin Troublemaker facilities the same way Robert, Quentin and Frank made SIN CITY. Hopefully soon. But right, or not at all.

CG: Do you plan on directing the “Madman” film or any other films, for that matter?

MA: Like I said, collaboratively. I would love to have a life as a filmmaker. But I love making comics more. I hope I’ll do more.

CG: What is your favorite View Askew / Kevin Smith flick?

MA: Sentimentally, CHASING AMY. But the one that makes me laugh the most–the biggest party–is JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK.

CG: Do you have any new projects coming up?

MA: Always.

CG: And finally, do you still keep in contact with anyone related to the world of View Askew?

MA: Not as often as I’d like or should. I live so reclusively that a phone call every couple of years feels like daily contact. I’m happy to have my message board sponsored by VA. And I’m sure Kev knows if he ever wants to work together on anything at any point, I’ll be there for him.

We thank Chris and of course the great Mike Allred for the time to conduct the interview! Check the archives for all of the great Graves Q&A’s, and watch for more in the future.

So, let’s take a look at what’s up this week – All “Clerks II” exclusives!!! The screen-used “Keep Control” poster that is clearly seen in the film. Possibly the coolest prop of the week – Becky’s Hula Girl lamp, which we’re betting will gather some nice interest. For those of you into building a collection, a couple items jump right out – A selection of SEVEN procedural posters seen in Mooby’s (what a bargain as you get the WHOLE DARN SET), and a full Mooby’s “Prop Pack” – Ready for display. Finally, there’s the coveted Cast & Crew hoodie from Clerks II, which, as the name states, was only offered to cast and crew who worked on the film. So, you know just how rare this one is. A very cool set of threads.

Get on over to Auctions Askew and sign up for your FREE bidder’s account. Get in on the fun, even if it’s just to place a small bid and let others chase ya! Good luck, and happy hunting.

1. Good Will Hunting 2: Hunting Season (Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)


In retrospect Good Will Hunting was an over-earnest bore, but at least its stars and writers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck had the good grace to parody their Oscar-winning effort for Kevin Smith. “Think about the paycheck” says Damon to Affleck on set, whilst Guus Van Sant counts a huge wedge of cash. As with the first movie, Damon has his knowledge of southern colonies questioned, only this time is retort is not an intellectual comeback, but blowing the guy away with a shotgun. “It’s hunting season! Apple Sauce Bitch!”

Appearances from Kevin on the coasts are more common than those in the middle of the US and elsewhere, so when you have a chance to catch Kevin live, don’t miss it — Everyone gets loads of laughs, many hours of entertainment, and no one leaves having a bad time. With the new flick just released prior to this appearance, Kevin will likely have a bunch of new tales to tell, so even if you’ve seen the live Q&A before, you gotta go back — We can’t even count the amount of times we’ve seen the man live, and every single time has been totally different and worth the trip. We’ll have more details as the date draws closer, but for now, get those tix before the place sells out!

Appearances from Kevin on the coasts are more common than those in the middle of the US and elsewhere, so when you have a chance to catch Kevin live, don’t miss it — Everyone gets loads of laughs, many hours of entertainment, and no one leaves having a bad time. With the new flick just released prior to this appearance, Kevin will likely have a bunch of new tales to tell, so even if you’ve seen the live Q&A before, you gotta go back — We can’t even count the amount of times we’ve seen the man live, and every single time has been totally different and worth the trip. We’ll have more details as the date draws closer, but for now, get those tix before the place sells out!

VisionFest is the annual signature event from Filmmakers Alliance, the dynamic Los Angeles-based filmmaking collective. The event begins with the presentation of the Vision Award to filmmaker Kevin Smith and the Nilsson Award to the award’s namesake, filmmaker Rob Nilsson. Those awards will be preceded by a special Community Vision Award to LA Film Forum and the endowment of the Los Angeles Short Filmmaking Grant. It is followed by a screening of the best short films produced through Filmmakers Alliance in the past year and finishes with a spectacular celebration catered by some of LA’s best restaurants.

For more information, go to the official website or call 310-568-0633, or email visionfest@filmmakersalliance.org.

Tickets to attend this event are now on sale but will sell out FAST FAST FAST as they cost a mere $20. This gets you general admisison to the entire event, including the awards, the flicks, and more. A true bargain for film fans in the area.

FILMMAKERS ALLIANCE is a community of film artists dedicated ro realizing the full creative potential of cinema and to the advancement of true independent film through community action. Please join them in honoring their filmmaking heroes and celebrating the work of a new generation of emerging filmmakers.

Q: Next you’re going to be seen in Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make A Porno, which is having problems getting an R-rating due to explicit sexuality.

A: Looking back on filming, it was sort of romantic. But there is definitely some sex, and I know it’s gotten a reputation as a filthy movie. We live in a world where you can disembowel someone in a youth hostel in Romania but you can’t show people having sex. I think it’s weird. I honestly don’t think it deserves an NC-17 rating. Maybe we should have taken ‘porno’ out of the title. That kind of freaks people out, even though it is like the number one industry in the universe.

Yeah, but we just don’t think “Zack & Miri Make a Movie” would have the same ring, ya know?

Capone: The clip from ZACK AND MIRI that Kevin just showed are the first scenes I’ve seen from it. Tell me a little bit about Miri. What kind of person is she?

EB: Well, that clip was from our 10-year high school reunion. She’s an orphan, an aimless loser orphan. She works at a kiosk in the mall. She doesn’t have a lot of ambition. She and Zack are kind of stoners, and they just hang out. They don’t aspire to have anything and they don’t have anything, because they don’t now what they’re missing, or they do but it’s too depressing to think about it. She’s a really regular, small-town person, and that’s all she ever needed to be. She basically just wants to get through life. And she’s in love with Zack, and he doesn’t know it.

Capone: This film smells a bit like a romance under all this flesh peddling.

EB: It’s very romantic. I mean, it’s uber-romantic, this movie. It’s what sold me on the movie. It’s why I can’t believe the MPAA is giving us so much shit, because really the movie has so much heart. Meanwhile SAW 2 is about people cutting off each other’s limbs and blood gushing everywhere is an R. We make this big, heartfelt movie where people happen to fuck each other, and we get an NC-17. I mean, we don’t even show dick. We’re not really showing any penis.

Want more? Hit up Aint It Cool for the entire interview with Capone.

The fantastic G4 TV Feed caught wind of the news as well and used it in their daily wrap up segment yesterday.

Definitely cool to see the AP story we ran picked up by Variety as well, where it was a top item in their daily e-mailing.

Just to clarify, while we stated that there were no FURTHER cuts, it was never implied that the earlier cuts made were for ratings reasons. Kevin typically makes time-related cuts to his films after watching them with an audience, and this was no exception. The first and only rating the film received when submitted was an NC-17, but this was after Kevin had already trimmed the film on his own. There were NO CUTS made in an effort to reduce the rating, so the “R” rated film we’ll see will be the same that Kevin intended, and the same one that was originally hit with that NC-17. Hope that makes sense.

How does it feel to be receiving a lifetime achievement award at the Downbeach Film Festival?

It makes me feel like I’m closer to the end than the beginning — that’s weird. It’s nice though, always nice to get an award in Jersey.

And how does that feel for you, as a writer and a director, to be branching out into different genres?

It’ll be kind of interesting, thrilling on some level, where it’s like, “Wow, I’m working without a net on this one,” because at least with the other flicks, I can always fall back into the comedy, but this one not so much. It’ll be an eye-opener for me, that’s for sure. Maybe I’ll walk out of it going, “Oh my God, I can’t direct horror to save my life.”

You can read the whole interview at their site, though keep in mind it pre-dates the “Zack And Miri” appeal screening, so some stuff in there is a bit dated.