The trail bends south for The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger

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There are days when you don’t need an alarm clock. There are days when you don’t need a wake-up call. There are days when the only motivation you need to get out of bed is anticipation. This was one of those days. I found out the previous night that I might just get a chance to hear the spellbinding words of Chikara’s resident walking legend, The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger, firsthand. Chikara makes its Alabama debut this saturday with Deep Freeze, followed by Zodiac Crimes the next night in North Carolina. So I jumped at the chance to speak with the master of the trail, the rider of Desire, and the friend of sweet Sapphire.

I was shocked when the phone rang right on time and the voice on the other end was, indeed, that of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger. It was all too good to be true. I couldn’t believe that a man who had been on the run for so long would even allow himself to be recorded on what he called “a new-fangled communicatin’ device.” Sure enough, the Stranger always has a trick up his sleeve. When I tried to take the tape to the airwaves, there was nothing there. The Stranger has been getting away through time and space for too long to be bested by a greenhorn like me. Luckily, anybody who has ever heard the words of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger does not soon forget them. What follows is a recap of a conversation that I will always remember.

You are handsome. You are mysterious. You are a stranger. How are you?

First of all daddy, let me tell you it is The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger. I don’t want any confusion with The Handsome and Mysterious Stranger. I don’t need no copyright infringement or any legal action.

I have to tell you Stranger, I was shocked when the phone rang. I was fully prepared to conduct this interview by smoke signal if need be.

Let me tell you, I have done many interviews by smoke signal. I am always ready to do whatever I need to do. I have even sent messages through carrier pigeon. As you know, I am always joined by my faithful companion, my feral pigeon Sapphire. So she can deliver any message that I need to be delivered.

You are a very hard man to track down, as I am sure is your intent. Are you on the run from something?

I am surely on the run. They have been after me for centuries. I have been running from the Pinkertons for longer than I can remember. Do you know who they are daddy? But they will never get their hands on me. My movements are hard to track like a 17th century meteorologist. I am hard to find. You might call this number and this phone might be discontinued.

Now you are certainly no stranger to the South, but Chikara doesn’t get down this way too much. I am ecstatic to know that this Saturday you will be in my home state of Alabama at the ProSouth Arena for Chikara’s Deep Freeze.

The great state of Alabama. Sweet Home Alabama! I was born in Alabama, in a shack way back up in the woods.

Did your father call you Patches?

He certainly did.

Who are you taking on in Piedmont?

I am taking on deviANT. Now that is a deviant character. An insect. A six-legged critter. A character of dysfunction. A devious individual, much like that other Handsome and Mysterious Stranger. He ain’t no partner of mine. When I come to Piedmont, I got to put him down, baby.

I know you said that you know Alabama. It seems that your roots are deeper than any cotton plant, but do you have an escape route if things get a little out of hand.

Oh, I know Alabama like the bottom of Desire’s hooves. Desire is my faithful mare. She will never lead me astray. She will get me to safety anytime I need her.

It is not often that we get to know the whereabouts of The Mysterious and Handsome Stranger, but we know where you will be on October 6. Can you tell me where else you are headed?

I usually don’t tell the people where I am headed. If I did that I wouldn’t be The Mysterious Stranger, I would be The Predictable Stranger, if you will. But I like the cut of your jib, so I will tell you that after I squash that bug in Piedmont, Alabama, I am going to mount up Desire and head to Gibsonville, North Carolina for Chikara’s Zodiac Crimes.

Now I have searched for The Stranger in the papers. I have listened for The Stranger on the airwaves. I finally found a little clip on the Internet, and I believe that I heard you issue an open challenge to anybody in the state. Is that true?

That is certainly true. Now the Stranger has got a lot of history in the Carolinas. Apparently, they have split Carolina into two parts. This is called North Carolina, and The Stranger has a lot of roots in that area. There are a lot of people who may accept this challenge, but The Stranger is ready for ’em all.

If we can talk philosophically for a moment, we know that you are mysterious. We know that you are a tough hombre. We have seen you in a few tussles in Chikara. But we don’t know exactly what your goal is. As you look down that long tunnel into the future, is there somebody standing at the end who you might want to fire a little warning shot at?

You seem to be a man that understands The Stranger. You might be the kind of man that I would like to take out on the trail with me. A man who can watch my back when I go down into that mine and pan for gold. I don’t normally trust you media types with your printing presses and your new-fangled communicatin’ devices, but I am gonna tell you straight. I love Chikara. I love being here and I plan on being here for a while. You are right, daddy, and all the fans know that there is somebody who The Stranger wants to fire a little warning shot at, as you say. All the people who show up in North Carolina just may get a glimpse of who it is that the Mysterious and Handsome Stranger is taking aim at.

www.chikarapro.com

Out on Film engages Southern audience in “Fourplay”

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There are many emotions and attitudes associated with sex. Passion and eroticism are obviously some of its more common bedfellows, but sex can also be comical, subversive, experimental and stressful. In Fourplay, directed by Kyle Henry and co-produced by Michael Stipe, we see four very different stories taking place in different cities where sex is an integral and transcendent part of the main characters’ lives. Were you to watch these four short films separately, you’d likely have difficulty determining a common theme.

Gail (Sara Sevigny, left) fantasizes about Marcy (Amy Jean Johnson) in "Skokie"

But when they are presented as a single feature film, the inadvertent (and whimsical) beastiality of “Skokie” fits right in alongside the extremes of a couple on the brink of collapsing in “Austin.” And the bathroom fantasies of “Tampa” erupt (very literally) into an orgy of luchadors, Hitler and other odd characters before an invalid’s encounter with a cross-dressing prostitute becomes oddly touching and tender in “San Francisco.” As the movie makes its Southeastern premiere tonight at the Out on Film festival, Henry talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about drag queens, dogs and other related topics.

The first thing that jumps out at me about these four stories is that they are very different. There’s a wide range of tones and themes in each one even though the primary subject matter of sex is the same. How did you go about directing four drastically different films that comprise one larger work?

That was what I was looking for. I really wanted to show sexual expression from a variety of perspectives, whether it be tragic, comedic, satyric, ironic or you name it. Myself and the writers, Carlos Triviño and Jessica Hedrick, were interested in seeing the act of sex being a major turning point in the lives of characters and stories. So we picked extreme stories for extreme effect. I think there’s something tying them all together in terms of our point of view of the world as people, in a sense of charity, maybe, and generosity.

Did you plan on having these four films presented as a single film or did things just sort of fall into place that way?

Luis (Jose Villarreal) gets a lot more than he expected in "Tampa"

All four of these shorts were written before I shot the first one. That was always the intention. But we tried to do something novel where as we completed the first two shorts – “Tampa” and “San Francisco” – we wanted to put them out into the world. So we released them as stand-alone shorts at festivals. The feature, with all four titles together, is like a payoff for the people who have been following the development of the film over the last few years.

The Out on Film screening is the Southeast debut for the film. Where else has the full feature played?

This will be the fifth festival the full feature has played at. It premiered at Frameline in San Francisco, then we played at Outfest in Los Angeles and the Guanajuato International Film Festival was our Mexican premiere. Throughout the fall we’re playing it at different film festivals in New Orleans, Copenhagen and elsewhere. So we’re continuing touring film festivals through early next year.

As a director, did you have a favorite amongst the four short films?

No, they’re all my babies. I love all my children. I think they were all challenging. Working with a dog is always challenging. Well, dogs and children. At least we didn’t have a child in any of them! Working with such a huge cast on “Tampa” was really challenging. The last short, “San Francisco,” was really enjoyable to work with just two actors in a room. It certainly was the most intimate and delicate performances to direct, so that was a lot of fun.

Paul Soileau plays the cross-dressing prostitute in that one. Is that a drag persona he does on a regular basis or was it just a character he portrayed for this film?

Aliya (Paul Soileau) has more than one surprise in "San Francisco"

It was a character, but he’s now internationally known for playing two alter egos. His most well-known one is a character called Christeene, who is this gutter-mouthed drag punk rock character. He has a bunch of music videos up on Funny or Die, he’s been touring clubs all over the world for the last few years. But they’re outrageous characters. I don’t think he’d ever played something that was very real, like this character required. And he did a great job of changing his normal performance mode for the film.

After these upcoming festivals, are you working on getting Fourplay released theatrically?

Yeah, we’re already booking theaters and the theatrical release will begin in February of 2013. We’re opening first in Austin, Texas at a theater called the Alamo Drafthouse and we’re looking for theaters to show at in other cities.

Michael Stipe was one of the producers of this film. What role did he play, exactly, as a producer?

I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have Michael Stipe as one of the executive producers on the film. This film never would have been made without his support. He has a company called C-Hundred Film Corp. and over the last 15 years he and his producing partner Jim McKay have put money into about 15 low-budget independent features. It’s a small amount of money that’s basically a very big grant and he and his partner give it to work that they’re interested in. They give it to challenging work that they know is going to have a hard time finding funding elsewhere because people are going to be afraid of the content or the messages being put out by the films. So they really are giving back to the artistry of our environment by supporting what they like.

www.fourplayfilm.com

King Mo makes his TNA debut this Thursday

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As an all-star collegiate wrestler and multi-time amateur wrestling champion, Muhammaed Lawal‘s transition into mixed martial arts has proven to be a royal success. As a former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, King Mo is simultaneously signed to Bellator Fighting Championships and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is currently training at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Making his Impact Wrestling debut on Spike  this Thursday, it was announced last week that Mo would be the special guest enforcer in the match between “Cowboy” James Storm and Bobby Roode at Bound for Glory.

“I’m really not anticipating too much,” says Mo. “I’m just there to be the enforcer and make sure I enforce the rules like a good referee, straight down the middle. Bobby Roode tends to get out of line sometimes and I might have to check him. But I can’t play favorites right now. I’m going to go out there and just be neutral.”

Already known for theatrical ring entrances that include a crown, robe, throne and lovely ladies by his side, King Mo seems like a perfect fit for professional wrestling. But even with his fighting and wrestling background and penchant for showmanship, he’s still humble enough to admit that he’s not quite ready for his first pro wrestling match.

“I’ve still got a long way to go,” he says. “People think this is easy, but it’s as hard as MMA. In MMA, you get hit, but you can come back. This is a lot different. This is an art, it’s entertainment and it’s tough. I’m just waiting on them to tell me I’m ready. As far as my first match, I’m hoping it’s somebody I can pin real quick. You know, a scrub.”

All joking aside, however, Mo is clearly aware that neither Roode nor Storm could be considered a scrub. And as a special enforcer, he has the authority to utilize his fighting background to keep order at Bound for Glory. But when it does come time for him to step into the squared circle for competition, he knows it will be a serious matter.

“To me it’s all the same,” he says of his dual careers. “I treat it like it’s training camp and I’m here to learn and improve. That’s what I do in MMA: I’m there to learn and improve. When your body takes a beating and pounding, that’s part of the game … and I’m up for the challenge.”

www.impactwrestling.com

A “Gayby” is born in independent romantic comedy

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It is not uncommon for two longtime friends to simultaneously come to the early-midlife conclusion that their biological clocks may be winding down. For those who have reached their 30s without settling on a husband, wife or long-term partner, the idea of conceiving a child together despite the lack of physical attraction becomes more and more appealing as time goes on. Such an idea was the basis for Friends with Kids earlier this year (read Flash Gorem’s review here), but the concept gets thrown for another loop in Gayby. Making its Georgia premiere on the opening night of Atlanta’s Out on Film festival this Thursday, Gayby is based on Jonathan Lisecki’s four-year-old short film about Jenn (Jenn Harris), a single New York City yoga instructor ready for motherhood, and her gay friend Matt (Matthew Wilkas), who works in a comic book store and is still trying to get over his last boyfriend, and their decision to procreate. After premiering at South by Southwest earlier this year, Gayby has screened in numerous festivals and sees its theatrical release in New York on Oct. 12 and in Los Angeles on Oct. 26, followed by a Video on Demand and DVD release in December. As he prepares to show his Gayby off in Atlanta, writer/director Lisecki (who also plays Nelson in the film) talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about its conception.

When did you decide to expand your short film into a full-length feature?

Writer/director Jonathan Lisecki (right) plays Nelson in "Gayby"

It played around at all these festivals, so I got to see it with a bunch of different audiences all over the country and outside of the country. So I knew it had some universal appeal and people always really responded to it and loved Jenn and Matt. A little more than a year ago, I was at a festival and the two women who wound up producing the film [Secretary‘s Amy Hobby and Lipstick & Dynamite‘s Anne Hubbell] were there with me. They were like, “When are you going to make a feature of Gayby?” I was like, “I don’t know. Are you going to help me if I make it?” And they said, “Yeah, if you write one!” Once I knew that I would have people to help me, I wrote the script last May and we were shooting by August. It was kind of a quick decision.

Even though Matt is gay, he’s not stereotypically gay and it’s easy to relate with him regardless of your sexuality. He works at a comic book store and is just a regular guy who happens to be gay. Was it your intention to make him somewhat universally relatable like that?

I knew we were going to have multiple gay characters, so we should have different aspects of that life portrayed. And I know people like Matt. I just thought it would be interesting if we saw a gay character who wasn’t quick to hop in the sack with other people, who worked in a different kind of job than we usually see, who was a little bit more shy. It all just seemed right for what I wanted to say with the movie.

I didn’t want to get too much into this, “He doesn’t act gay, so he’s not a gay stereotype” thing. In the past ten years or so, it’s swung to the reverse. There are more campy characters on television, but there are also these guys who are so butch that you’d never know they were gay. Either way it can be a stereotype, it just depends on how human you write the characters. People are quick to say a certain type of person is a stereotype, but is that really true? There are people who are like every single person in my film in real life. I think you can write any type of person and as long as you treat them with honesty and intelligence, that’s how you avoid that beginning to feel like a stereotype.

At a certain point in the movie it becomes questionable if Matt is actually the father of Jenn’s baby, which creates some tension between him and Jenn. But it’s never actually revealed if he is or is not the father.

One of many awkward moments that arises between Jenn (second from left) and Matt (right) in "Gayby"

No, it’s not. That’s not really the point. The point is they’re creating this family that’s based on a bond that isn’t specifically genetic. I thought there was no real reason to answer that question. There’s also a personal aspect to that from my life where there’s a question I never had answered that I’m fine with not knowing the answer to. To wrap every single thing up in a bow sometimes feels not real, so I just wanted to leave that open ended.

Gayby was selected to screen at Out on Film on opening night, which is a pretty big deal, right?

To the festivals it is. I think they choose the movies they like to debut opening night and closing night. For a filmmaker, it’s always lovely to be at the opening night movie screenings. It just makes it feel a little more special and it’s nice. But there’s something special about sharing a movie with an audience no matter where it’s played. I guess there’s a little bit of a bonus to be played first. It just means the people who program the festival really like your movie and want to showcase it a little.

www.gaybyfilm.com

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes Stephen Platinum, Matt “Sex” Sells and Jacob Ashworth

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Following our live broadcast from Sacred Ground: Chapter Three, Georgia Wrestling Now is back at it’s regular Monday night time slot. Our broadcast time expired before Sacred Ground was over, so Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and Wrestling with Pop Culture‘s Jonathan Williams catch listeners up on the last two matches, and the fate of Platinum Championship Wrestling. We also hear from Stephen Platinum and Matt “Sex” Sells. Other topics of discussion include Chikara‘s Deep Freeze at the ProSouth Arena on Oct. 6 and Zodiac Crimes at the New Mid-Atlantic Sportatorium on Oct. 7. We also hear from Pro Wrestling Resurrection Heavyweight Championship contender Jacob Ashworth. We also have a pair of tickets to Atlanta Zombie Apocalypse to give away! The first person to comment below with the answer to the follow question wins a pair of tickets for Friday, Oct. 5. Which wrestling promotion debuted at AZA last October?

Jacob Ashworth is making a name for himself in Pro Wrestling Resurrection, Anarchy Wrestling, Platinum Championship Wrestling and elsewhere (photo by Harold Jay Taylor/Headlocks and Headshots)

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Georgia Wrestling Now broadcasts live from PCW’s Sacred Ground: Chapter Three

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Georgia Wrestling Now, with Wrestling with Pop Culture‘s Jonathan Williams, Team All You Can Eat’s Matt Hankins and Georgia Wrestling History‘s Larry Goodman, does a special broadcast live from Platinum Championship Wrestling’s Sacred Ground: Chapter Three on Sept. 29. Our broadcast begins during the first match, so whether you were there or want to try to find out what you missed, listen here. This show was our first attempt at broadcasting live from a wrestling event, so please excuse the audio issues and other mishaps. And if Matt and my self-indulgent attempt at being wrestling commentators is unbearable, you can just read Larry Goodman’s Sacred Ground review.

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John 5 shreds with Rob Zombie on the Twins of Evil tour

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Though he received his first big jolt of recognition when he became Marilyn Manson‘s guitarist in 1998, for the past seven years John 5‘s shredding skills have been utilized as part of Rob Zombie‘s band. So when Manson and Zombie take to the stage tonight at the Desert Uprising festival in Phoenix for the first night of the Twins of Evil tour, it will be especially exciting for 5 given his history with both bands. Having released his latest solo CD God Told Me To a few months ago, 5 also contributed some guitar work for Zombie’s recent remix album Mondo Sex Head. Before taking the stage for the Twins of Evil tour, 5 talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about the tour, the next Zombie album and other upcoming projects.

Rob Zombie’s recent remix CD featured some of his older material remixed by several of today’s top DJs and electronic musicians. But you also contributed some guitar work to the album. Which songs did you work on?

John 5 (left) is part of the gruesome twosome on the Twins of Evil tour (photo by Rick Fagan)

That’s right. There’s a lot going on right now. The remix CD just came out, we just finished up the new Zombie record, we’re doing the The Lords of Salem movie and the Twins of Evil tour is starting. A couple of DJs got a hold of me and said, “Hey, would you mind putting this, that and the other thing on there?” And I said, “Absolutely. It’ll be fun.” And for Jonathan Davis’ J Devil remix I did a little work and it came out really great. I love that album. It was a lot of fun and it’s cool to hear the songs remixed that way. I did some stuff on “Thunder Kiss” and “Superbeast.”

You mentioned the new Rob Zombie record. What can you say about that at this point?

I’m not sure when it comes out, but I just listened to the whole record and it is an aggressive, in-your-face record. I’ve been a fan of White Zombie and Rob Zombie since long before I was in the band, and from a fan’s outlook when listening to this record I hear a lot of the live, raw aggressiveness of White Zombie. A lot of artists say, “This is our best record and blah blah blah blah blah,” but I really am super excited about this and I think people are really going to enjoy it. It’s still very early and Rob is definitely going to come up with something great for the title of the record. These are really great songs and people are going to dig it. I’m looking forward to playing these songs live.

This will be your first record since your former Marilyn Manson bandmate Ginger Fish joined Zombie’s band. How involved was he in the recording process?

I’ve known Ginger forever and when we go in to record, I bring guitars and some pedals and this and that. Ginger came to the studio, I swear to God, with a semi full of drums and mics. I thought he was moving in or something. It was crazy all the stuff he brought. I was like, “What is going on here? He’s just playing drums!” But he’s great and he did a phenomenal job. That’s another great thing about the record is that it’s so alive with his crazy energy.

It’s been a few years since you and Ginger played in the same band together. What has it been like playing with him again?

John 5 (right) is a musical and visual presence in Rob Zombie's band (photo by Rick Fagan)

I always kept in touch with Ginger, so it’s been like jamming with an old friend. It worked before and it just seemed to fit perfect. I told Rob that Ginger would be perfect because I had played with him before, he’s loyal and he’s a great drummer. And it’s been working perfect. He’s been in the band for a little while, we’ve done a few tours with him and now we’ve done a record with him. It really is a perfect fit. Now we’re doing this tour together and it’s really going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a huge show and what better thing to do around Halloween time than go see Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie?

That’s a pairing a lot of people have been wanting to see since the late ’90s. But now with the added dynamic of yours and Ginger’s history with both bands just makes it that much more interesting.

It’s going to be exciting, to say the least. A lot of people are going to really enjoy it and it’s such a perfect time of year for it.

Both bands are known for putting on huge stage shows. Have the two bands been communicating about coordinating their shows or will there be a bit of one-upsmanship going on during the tour?

The only thing I’m sure of is Rob Zombie has always had such a massive show, but this tour is going to be even bigger. Our show is going to be so big and mammoth that people are going to be holding their heads and saying, “I can’t believe what I just saw.”

You also mentioned the The Lords of Salem movie. Are you involved with that in some way?

Yeah, I did the music score for the movie. It was a challenge to score a movie, especially a Rob Zombie movie. I used a lot of weird things to create the sounds like violin bows, banging on the guitar, quarters on the strings and all sorts of weird instruments. I’m really proud of how this music came out. It was one of the most challenging things I’ve done in a long time.

Was Zombie involved in the recording process at all?

John 5 (second from right) and Ginger Fish (right) reunite in more than one way on the Twins of Evil tour (photo by Rick Fagan)

Rob was actually directing, editing and talking to me about the score. We did a couple of pieces together and the guy’s a genius. I sit back and think about how he makes hit records and he does these movies, but for my birthday he painted me the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The guy can do everything. The painting is amazing, he does music, movies, but you know what? I can beat him at air hockey. That’s what I can beat him at. We played air hockey at the movie and I beat him, so I’ve got that going for me.

You also released a new solo album a few months ago, which is probably your most ambitious solo effort to date. For those who haven’t heard it, what would you like to say about that album?

I really can’t believe how well it’s doing. People enjoy when I put out this instrumental music because they never know what they’re going to get. They’re kind of like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates. But with God Told Me To, there’s a DVD that goes with the record and Rob Zombie painted the cover. I’ve gotten a lot of love from that record and I appreciate that. And it really takes you on a journey, that’s for sure.

www.john-5.com

www.robzombie.com