Boobs, blood and the Butcher Babies

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What’s not to like about the Butcher Babies? There are boobs, there’s blood, and the band’s brand of horror metal is about as heavy as metal gets. Sure, a majority of the attention is intentionally directed at the blood-spattered and nipple-taped front women (former Playboy TV personality Carla Harvey and statuesque model/actress Heidi Shepherd), but the Butcher Babies are not just about the boobs. Instead, that’s almost like an insidious setup to lure listeners in before the macabre musical onslaught of Harvey, Shepherd, Henry Flury (guitar), Jason Klein (bass) and Chrissy Warner (drums) shrieks and shreds your ears into submission. Though they admittedly revel in the shock value of it all, there’s a little bit more to the band’s songs of serial killing and torture tactics. The video for “Mr. Slowdeath” from the band’s self-titled (huh huh, I said “tit”) EP plays out like a mini horror film, and the Harvey-penned Butcher Babies comic book further’s the band’s creepy concept. Just off Otep‘s Destroy to Create Tour with One-Eyed Doll and Arcanium, the Butcher Babies return to their Sunset Strip slaying grounds tonight for a show with Fozzy and Picture Me Broken at The Roxy Theatre tonight. Then the band heads out on a West Coast tour in November with Gemini Syndrome and Dr. Acula. In the meantime, here’s a recent interview Wrestling with Pop Culture did with the Butcher Babies.

Carla and Heidi met while working for Playboy TV, and the rest of you guys have played in bands like Amen and Scars of Tomorrow. But how did the five of you come together to create the Butcher Babies?

Shepherd: Carla and I played in a punk/metal cover band years ago, and Chris actually used to come to those shows, and Henry had gone to a couple, too. But we all didn’t know each other. Carla and I quit that band and wanted to do something heavy and original together. So we took what we liked, which was each other and nipple tape, and formed the band.

Looks like Heidi Shepherd (left) and Carla Harvey (right) need a ride. Would you pick up these hitchhikers?

So it was a pretty organic process of forming the band?

Harvey: It turned out that way, but it wasn’t at first. We went through a lot of band members at first and we just couldn’t find the right core group of guys. But when we just looked in our own backyard and realized they were right there, it got a lot easier.

Warner: I was spying on her!

Shepherd: Yeah, peeping Chris over here. It was interesting because we did go through a couple of members and we just couldn’t find people that had the right vision or that had the same vision as us. Finally, the second we stepped in a room together, it was really apparent that we all had the same exact vision. And it all took off from there.

The band obviously has a strong visual presence. How did the whole blood-and-boobs thing manifest itself?

Harvey: Every band has an identity and we all are fans of horror films. So putting on some blood just added to our show and it felt kind of natural, especially with our music because it’s dark, heavy, groovy thrash metal.

Shepherd: We write about a lot of things that give you nightmares, things that scare you like serial killers, monsters and things like that. So it definitely fits in with that realm. With the nipple tape, Carla and I and the whole band are big fans of Wendy O. Williams. She was the first female to really go balls out – or tits out, if you will – in heavy metal. So we really appreciate that she paved the way for females like Otep and ourselves to really explore everything we wanted to do. So it’s more of an ode to the late Wendy O. Williams.

Klein: Chris has some nipple tape on right now. I haven’t been able to get it to stick. I tried once, but I have too much chest hair.

Harvey: Heidi had that same problem, but we got that taken care of.

Klein: Yeah, she ate up the razor so it wasn’t sharp enough for me to use.

How involved are each of you in writing the songs? Is it more of a band effort or are certain members more involved in coming up with the songs?

Even when not covered in blood, the Butcher Babies are intriguingly menacing

Harvey: We all sit in a room and write together. It’s very important to us that our songs represent each member, so we are very hands on.

Shepherd: Musically and lyrically everyone puts a hand in the cookie jar. So it’s a very collective process where we all feel free and comfortable to get very creative with each other. Every person here is very talented at writing lyrics and music, so why not use them all to their full potential?

Harvey: It also makes everybody, when they’re performing, feel like the song is coming from them. If we had one member writing everything, we’d be up there performing, but not really feeling it.

You have an EP out, but when will there be a full-length album?

Shepherd: We are always writing, but we’re looking to have our full-length out early next year. We definitely have enough songs for it, it’s just about finding which songs we want to really represent ourselves with. The EP took a long time because we’re always evolving and we wanted to really put out something that we felt was 100 percent worthwhile.

Carla, you also have a comic book out. Tell me a little about that.

Harvey: You can get it at Deepcutproductions.net and it adds a bit of mythology to our band. People seem to love it and I get emails every day about how much people like it. I wrote it, so it’s just really fun to see it come to life. We worked with an artist named Anthony Winn, who works for Stan Lee, which is amazing because Heidi and I have gotten to pal around with Stan Lee a little bit.

And you’re working on a novel?

Harvey: Yeah, I’ve written a novel that I hope will be out at the beginning of next year. And I have another comic book coming out. We’re all very creative people. Our main focus is the band, but I’ve loved writing since I was a kid and I’m able to use my band as a platform to get my other material out to people. I’m so thankful for that.

I doubt many people would hesitate at helping Heidi Shepherd (left) and Carla Harvey (right) get cleaned up (photo by the Psyco Boys)

Shepherd: We all have careers besides the Butcher Babies. Butcher Babies is our main squeeze and it’s all of our dream that’s coming true. But we all have other gifts and talents.

Klein: I’m a stripper and that’s kind of paying for our fuel.

Flury: I’m a rodeo clown and that also helps pay for gas.

Shepherd: I’m a Justin Bieber impersonator and I’m really good at looking like a 40-year-old lesbian.

Warner: So those are your other jobs? My other job is riding your mom!

You get paid for that? But back to the book. What’s the novel about?

Harvey: It’s about loneliness and the breakdown of the American family. That’s all I want to say about it right now, but I’ve had a lot of interest in it and I’m really proud of it. I know it sounds funny talking about such serious things when we wear nipple tape on stage.

So what else do you all actually do outside of the band?

Shepherd: I do commercials for television and that’s a lot of fun. I’ve been in television my entire life and I was a radio DJ on morning shows for a long time. Eventually I would like to get back into radio, but Butcher Babies is the center of my attention now.

Flury: I’m a graphic artist.

Warner: Me? What job? This is the only one I’ve got. Drums, baby. That’s my life.

www.butcherbabiesofficial.com

 

“Barricade” offers unsettling holiday horror

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Conner Dwelly and Ryan Grantham find holiday horror in "Barricade"

A family dreaming of a white Christmas instead gets a horrific holiday in the chilling new horror mystery Barricade, starring Will & Grace‘s Eric McCormack. Barricade is the latest direct-to-video release from WWE Studios, and it is one of the most gripping horror films the studio has ever put out.

When widower Terrence Shade (McCormack) takes his children (Conner Dwelly and Ryan Grantham) to the mountain cabin their mother had enjoyed as a child, it seems like the perfect way for this fractured family to reconnect while putting some of their grieving behind them. And Terrence has gone out of his way to make it a true escape, stocking the cabin with comfort foods, candy and presents to open on Christmas morning. But not long after the family settles in, the discomfort sets in. Then it gradually turns into full-on terror as it becomes difficult to distinguish reality from nightmare, especially when Terrence has these blackouts after he takes his medication (or is it if he forgets to take it?).

Such questions are part of the intrigue with Barricade. Are there really people (or other creatures) outside the cabin after a blizzard snows the family in? Did several feet of snow really fall in a matter of minutes or did Terrence have another lapse of consciousness? After Terrence barricades the family in, does it actually keep the evil out or is the sinister presence now trapped inside with them? Director Andrew Currie really keeps the viewer guessing, while throwing in some stylistic nods to Alfred Hitchcock, John Carpenter and other masters of macabre that have clearly inspired him.

Terrence Shade (Eric McCormack) confronts his fears in "Barricade"

Barricade also has a slight Japanese horror feel, especially when the children become possessed by the inexplicable energy that permeates the cabin. And the surrealist qualities of many scenes are not all that different from something out of a Michel Gondry or Spike Jonze film. The environments themselves – the lodge with its taxidermy, depressingly retro hues and The Shining-like atmosphere, as well as the cramped tool shed filled with sharp objects and other dangers – give every scene an impending ominousness that only sometimes makes itself apparent.

Once Terrence’s subconscious begins to catch up with his reality (and after the tragedy that the family has suffered is fully explained to the viewer), the horror only becomes worse as it starts to look like maybe the monster was with the family before they even ventured into the mountains. But even then there is still suspicion, and it is never fully apparent who or what has been terrorizing the family all this time. And it’s that not knowing that leaves the viewer with that unsettled feeling that only a good horror film can provide.

For more information, go to www.barricademovie.com.

“¡Uno!” mas pop punk album from Green Day

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You’d think it would be hard for Green Day to top it’s last two rock operas, 2004’s American Idiot and 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown. But, nope, the one-time underground punk band looks to top those grandiose efforts with yet another ambitious project, a trilogy of albums and eventual box set) beginning with ¡Uno! (¡Dos! is scheduled to be released in November and ¡Tré! comes out in January).

¡Uno! sees the band returning to the its punk rock roots while also expanding into other sonic realms. But not in the same way it has on the last two albums, which maintained the band’s punchy stylings while venturing into more elaborate structuring reminiscent of The Who and Queen. This time around, Green Day takes a simpler approach that ends up sounding more like Cheap Trick-style pop than the edgier Buzzcocks/Sex Pistols stylings of earlier releases. But Green Day’s music has always been catchy, so it was probably pretty easy to step away from the concept albums and get back to recording fast-paced pop songs (which is probably why the band was able to produce three albums in such a short period of time).

“Nuclear Family” has the sarcasm and staccato of something off the band’s 2000 Warning release while “Let Yourself Go” has an anthemic AC/DC quality. “Kill the DJ” has a touch of Jet/Franz Ferdniand-like garage rock as well as a catchy ’80s dance vibe. “Sweet 16,” like a few other songs here, is basically a pop rock ballad, which actually suits Green Day’s subversive sneer (especially since there still seems to be an underlying middle finger that binds the entire album).

If ¡Uno! is any indication of what ¡Dos! and ¡Tré! will have to offer (they are meant to be one cohesive work, after all), then Green Day has plenty more pop punk where all this came from. But don’t let the simplicity fool you. The last two albums may have been presented as three structured acts, but composing three entire albums can’t be any easier (thought it sounds like it’s just as fun).

www.greenday.com

“The Avengers” parody features Chyna as She-Hulk

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Chyna as She-Hulk (photo courtesy Vivid Entertainment)

When I reviewed Chyna’s new Queen of the Ring DVD and saw the bonus scene from The Avengers with Chyna playing She-Hulk, I knew I needed to get a copy of the new Avengers DVD and review it. And the people at Vivid were so happy with my Queen of the Ring review that they sent me this DVD right away.

Since I never saw The Avengers in the movie theater, I didn’t even know Chyna was in it. I wonder why they didn’t mention that in any of the trailers. She’s one of the best parts of the movie and I always thought she was kind of like She-Hulk anyway when she was in WWE. Anyway, I skipped straight to her scene, where she does some personal training with Thor and his hammer before the team heads out to find her cousin the Hulk. So after I finished watching Chyna’s scene, I started the movie from the beginning. But I didn’t fast forward through Chyna’s scene the second time around because she and Thor really go at each other and it’s fun to watch.

But that part is almost the movie’s climax, so when I went back to the beginning it actually made a little more sense when I got to it again. Nick Fury has assembled The Avengers to track down the Hulk. There are a lot more girls in the Avengers than I thought there were. Most of the movie is about the members preparing for action, so I predict there will be a sequel within a year or two. But at least we have Chyna’s She-Hulk movie to look forward to sometime soon.

After Fury tells everyone what the plan is, Hawkeye and Black Widow seem kind of mad at each other about something she did with Tony Stark (SPOILER ALERT! He’s actually Iron Man). But it turns out that Black Widow still really likes Hawkeye, so she starts showing him how much she likes him before they have to go do battle together. Then Iron Man finds the Hulk in the desert, but Hulk is angry and punches Iron Man 150 miles away. Then Fury gets frustrated because The Avengers were all arguing at the beginning, so he takes his frustrations out on some military girl who I think is, like, his assistant or something. (She kind of looks like Beth Phoenix and Natalya and I would love to see them follow in Chyna’s footsteps and do movies like this one. I mean, they already look like superheroes.) But Fury really gets his frustrations out in a big way. Too bad he doesn’t know how well everyone is actually getting along throughout their base or whatever it is.

Danni Cole is actually one of snotrage's favorite actresses, so he likes her as the Scarlet Witch (photo courtesy Vivid Entertainment)

Speaking of getting along, Ms. Marvel looks great in her costume. And so does the Scarlet Witch, who is practicing her magical mutant powers in the gym. She tries to read Ms. Marvel‘s mind, but she can’t do it. So Ms. Marvel just shows her what she was thinking. Turns out there’s room for both of them to work out together as they start training on the weight bench. Then they start to have some wardrobe malfunctions, but, you know, it was pretty good. And I never read a lot of comic books, but my cousin did and I don’t remember seeing girls practicing their powers on each other like this. But, I mean, you know. It’s a great scene from two more characters that I didn’t even see in the trailers for The Avengers.

The next part is where Thor is mad at the humans and Chyna comes in to show him that some humans are almost as strong as he is. I was wondering how they made her skin all green, but then I watched the behind-the-scenes footage on the second disc and it shows how they did that (they even made her nipples darker than the rest of her skin!). But I already told you about this scene and just thinking about it again makes me need to take a break.

OK, I’m back now and just in time for the grand finale. Spider-Man shows up and is mad that they won’t let him be one of The Avengers. But after he’s by himself, Ms. Marvel tries to make him feel better and he eventually shoots his webbing on her face. I don’t really know why Spider-Woman doesn’t join in on this scene. I mean, she’s hardly even in the movie aside from at the very beginning. But, you know. Somehow Ms. Marvel convinces Fury to let Spider-Man join the team on their next adventure. But I won’t spoil the ending for you because there will definitely be a sequel after Chyna’s She-Hulk movie comes out, which I can’t wait for. I wonder if Hulk Hogan might play Captain America. I think he should. He’d be pretty good.

For more information, go to www.vivid.com/movie/the-avengers-xxx-a-porn-parody.

Susan SurfTone still making waves in the surf rock scene

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For almost 30 years, Susan SurfTone has been quite comfortable being a woman in the mostly-man’s world of surf rock. But even before she made a career out of strumming jangly riffs and garage-y instrumentals, SurfTone was kicking ass as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, where her training included squaring off against male opponents in the boxing ring. After releasing her first solo album Shore last year, SurfTone has been instrumental (pun intended) in unifying the surf scene in her new hometown of Portland, Ore., most notably with the recent compilation PDX A G0-Go: Making Waves Up North. Featuring contributions from bands such as the Surf Weasels, the Outer Space Heaters and, of course, SurfTone herself, PDX A Go-Go can also be credited for the newest addition to SurfTone’s live show: go-go dancer and PDX A Go-Go cover model Seana Steele. “I saw her dancing with the Surf Weasels and I guess you could say I stole her away from them,” says SurfTone. “They’re on the comp with us, so they weren’t too mad about it. Actually, they’re drummer’s playing with us now, so I guess I raided them.” Already working on a new album for release early next year, SurfTone and her band embark on a brief West Coast tour beginning tonight and concluding Saturday with a performance at the L.A. Derby Dolls roller derby bout. Before hitting the road, SurfTone and Steele talk to Wrestling with Pop Culture about PDX A Go-Go, FBI sparring and general badassery.

How did the PDX A Go-Go compilation come about?

SurfTone: I hadn’t played live in Portland in about six years, but right after Shore came out I started getting some gigs and realized there were some really good surf bands in Portland. They had a steady crowd of people coming to the gigs and I thought it would be good to document that with a compilation CD because I don’t think there has been a compilation CD that had anything to do with Portland surf bands. I thought it was a new thing to do and it also helped solidify the relationships between the bands. Now we’re all friends and it’s a virtual love fest up here.

You’re doing a few West Coast shows this week. Do you have any plans to continue touring and maybe taking some of these bands on the road with you?

SurfTone: I hadn’t planned on taking any of those bands out with me. Sometimes day jobs get in the way. But we’re thinking of doing another European tour in 2013. I’ve done four European tours, the first of which was in ’96. Then I did some more tours there between 1996 and 2001 and I haven’t been back since. So I think it might be time.

One of this week’s tour dates is at a L.A. Derby Dolls bout. I’d imagine Susan SurfTone and roller derby will complement each other nicely.

SurfTone: The Derby Dolls seemed like a good gig. My dad was a baseball player, so I guess I just kind of like sports.

Before you were a badass surf guitarist, you were in the FBI and did some boxing. What was it like being that kind of badass before getting into music?

Paul Barrall, Avory Gray, Susan SurfTone, Seana Steele and Dan Ferguson (photo by Jeff Wong)

SurfTone: Some people say I’m a badass, but I don’t know if I believe them. I’m afraid of spiders, so I don’t know what badass is afraid of spiders. But I went into the FBI right after law school. We went to Quantico, Va. to the FBI Academy for training and part of the training was boxing. My father had shown me how to box because I’m an only child and, like I said, my dad was a baseball player, he was good at football and he was pretty much a natural sportsman, so I learned how to play everything. He taught me how to box and I was one of the few women who really knew how to do it. My fight partner was the smallest guy in the class and I always felt really bad for him because I could always give him a pretty good go-round and all the other guys in the class would make fun of him if I decked him, which happened a few times. He got me good a few times, too. I learned what it felt like to have your head snapped back, that’s for sure. We also had a guy who had been a Golden Gloves champ in our class and we had this one woman who wasn’t very popular. The day before I had to fight her, he came to me and gave me some lessons so I could go out and make short work of her, which I did. So that was kind of fun.

How long were you in the FBI and how did you go from that to fronting a surf band?

SurfTone: I was in just short of three years. I quit because I wanted to play music. I was working in New York City and I really wanted to put a band together and start playing in the clubs. I asked them if they had a problem with it and they said they did, so I had to quit. I was 28 at the time and it was either do music or not do music, and I decided I wanted to do music. So I left the Bureau and started a band and 30 years later, here we are.

Did you ever consider pursuing fighting since you seemed to be pretty good at it?

SurfTone: Oh, God no. Back at that time, women didn’t box. This is all new. I think I’d be too small for it anyway. I’m not all that big, so I think I’d probably get knocked on my ass by a good female boxer.

Maybe you’d have a fighting chance in wrestling.

SurfTone: No. I’d get pinned, believe me.

Seana, how do you fit in with the band? Do you rehearse with them before going on stage or do you just go with the flow of the music?

Susan SurfTone by the "Shore" (photo by Robbie McClaran)

Steele: I normally do one rehearsal so I can become familiar with the set and have practice doing it live. But overall I just do freeform dancing. That’s kind of the spirit of go-go dancing is just letting go and having fun. Susan and I are also working on bringing a fusion of fashion and music because I’m also a model. We recently did a photo shoot for the artwork for the next album, so I’m assisting in creating that amalgam.

You mentioned your recording schedule a little earlier. Do you have any idea when the new album might be out?

SurfTone: We’re recording it the first week of February and if all goes well, I would expect to see it sometime in April. I think I’ve got two more songs to finish writing for the new record. Then I go through the process of re-demoing that to have clear versions of them in the studio. Seanna’s walking in Portland Fashion Week for one of the designers and will be walking to one of the songs off Shore.

Steele: That’s on October 11 and Nelli Millard is the designer.

SurfTone: Nelli’s Russian, and part of what I did when I was in the FBI was I worked in New York and I was in the foreign counterintelligence unit. I chased KGB agents around New York City and just kind of kept an eye on them to make sure they weren’t doing anything they shouldn’t be doing. So I keep making these jokes about Nelli being a Russian designer.

For more information, go to www.susansurftone.com.

Georgia Wrestling Now welcomes PCW’s Stephen Platinum

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For almost three years, Platinum Championship Wrestling has been one of the most talked about wrestling promotions in Georgia. The EMPIRE, which took over the Friday night Academy Theatre shows last November, has vowed that the night before Sacred Ground: Chapter Three will be the final Academy show. This Saturday is Sacred Ground in PCW’s new home of Porterdale, and Stephen Platinum is our guest on this week’s Georgia Wrestling Now to discuss PCW’s past and future, as well as where things will go following Sacred Ground. Listen live Mondays at 7 p.m. and call 347-324-5735 with your questions and comments.

PCW's Stephen Platinum is ready to fight the EMPIRE (photo by Harold Jay Taylor/Headlocks and Headshots)

Listen to internet radio with PSP on Blog Talk Radio

Wood Harris is breaking the law in “Dredd 3D”

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Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) and Cassandra Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) in "Dredd 3D" (Photo by Joe Alblas)

Based on the pulpy British comic strip (and the 1995 Sylvester Stallone-starring film adaptation) Judge Dredd, Dredd 3D is a dystopian action thriller that jumps off the screen thanks to its ambitious use of 3-D technology. But for a film so focused on the sights and sounds of the judges, who act as police, judge, jury and, if needed, executioner, the film is often just as much about what’s not being seen or heard. And Wood Harris’ character Kay is the perfect example of this point. A member of drug lord Ma-Ma’s (Lena Headey) clan, Kay is a street thug taken into custody by Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) and his clairvoyant trainee (Olivia Thirlby). Best known for his own role as a drug lord on The Wire, Harris’ character exercises his right to remain silent for a good portion of Dredd as Ma-Ma and her goons hunt down the very officers who have taken Kay into custody. But with a mind-reading rookie largely in charge of his fate, Kay eventually gets in on the action, verbally and physically. Judgment is out now that the movie is in theaters, and Harris talks to Wrestling with Pop Culture about Dredd‘s filming process and the similarities between the ruthlessness of the criminals and the judges.

For a movie that’s as visually ambitious as this one is, what was the filming process like?

We shot for six months in Africa. I had a driver each day and it took about 40 minutes to get to the set each day. On the drive, we would go from the swanky area I stayed in through the underdeveloped African society. It was so underdeveloped that I thought it was a wasteland. After three or four weeks, I said to my driver, “There’s a lot of garbage.” He was like, “No, those are people’s homes. I must take you to see.”

I had never experienced anything like that. There were brothers and sisters there that dress like me and you, have cell phones and no plumbing. Imagine a whole community with no infrastructure and five Porta-Potties within two or three miles. It really raises your eyebrows to what’s going on politically. If you were born over there and lived over there, the land you stood on you could build a house on and you’re not going to pay rent or tax or anything. But you don’t have any resources. And there are beautiful women there, but you meet them and go back to the crib and there is no crib.

So that environment parallels what’s going on in the movie where the people with money have more control.

Judge Dredd (Karl Urban) is the law in "Dredd 3D" (photo by Joe Alblas)

Yeah, it’s definitely like that. They have gangs over there that are very ruthless, and they’re named after American cities. There’s a gang called New York and they wear Yankees hats twisted on their heads and act like Americans. When I say ruthless, I’m talking about cutting heads off and leaving them at grandma’s house. At the same time, the homicide rate there is lower than most American cities. So it’s still more peaceful there. Over here, if black people and white people play basketball, you always see the black dude win the game. We just dominate most sports. Not over there. You can turn on the TV and see brothers losing at sports all the time. It was just unbelievable. So they have a fondness for American black culture because 50 years before they stood up and said, “No more apartheid,” we were already civil activists. They just stopped being the way we were in the ’40s and ’50s in 1996. In 1996, you would need a dummy  pass to go from a black area to a white part of town. It would last ten hours – eight hours to work and two hours for the commute. They would do sweeps every day, so if they caught a brother walking down the street after a certain time, he went to jail. I just realized a lot from that experience. We still have residue, but at least it’s smoke. They’re dealing with fire still. It made me realize that the sacrifices and struggles that people are going through over here are not to be taken for granted.

For a movie that is as focused on the sights and sounds of 3-D as Dredd is, it’s interesting that you never see Judge Dredd’s face and your character doesn’t even speak until pretty far into the film. And even then, you don’t have a lot of lines since so much of it is action and psychology. What was it like working in an environment where it’s often just as much about what you’re not seeing and hearing?

That was a challenge, but I liked that challenge. I didn’t have to memorize a lot, but I still had to figure out what they were saying and if I was giving the right responses and I still had to be in the moment. It might seem easier, of course, but at the same time it’s not because you could easily get lost in what’s going on because you don’t have to say anything. But the good thing about not having a lot of lines was that I didn’t have to do a lot of memorizing.

I would imagine that it was even harder in a movie like this where so much of the action isn’t actually happening in front of you.

Wood Harris plays the thuggish Kay in "Dredd 3D" (photo by Joe Alblas)

There’s lots of action happening in the film. There’s one scene where we’re against this wall and Judge comes running down the hall and they’re shooting at him and the wall gets blown out. That was a squibbed wall with real explosives and we had to be in front of it when it was blowing up for real. So a lot of the effects were right there in front of us. I had a stuntman in that same scene and when the wall gets blown out, Dredd, his partner and myself jump out of this rooftop. It was about a one-story drop and my stuntman broke his femur bone because they had him handcuffed and he just didn’t have any hands to land on.

You play the villain, but there seem to be some parallels between the criminal you play and Judge Dredd, who has the authority to do some of the same things you do because of his badge.

What I hope people will think about after seeing this film is if you really consider a judge to be a judge, jury, cop and executioner all in one person, that’s pretty terrible. And it’s possible. If there is a police state, it could be like that. With these guys, there’s no court date. They catch you, you did it wrong, the sentence happens and if an execution happens, it happens where you stand. That helped fortify me in the role of Kay because when you play a bad guy, you really have to just try to be a normal person who does bad things. With Kay, I didn’t have room to do that because this is a comic book-based film where the villains have to be villainous and they can’t be based on the real stuff that I would like to base it on. But when I considered Dredd being an executioner, a judge and a law enforcement person, he’s not a good guy. He’s a hero because they say so, because he’s a cop.

For more information, go to www.dreddthemovie.com.