|
 Hi
Robert. In the early 90’s you worked on the musical score of the heavy
metal horror cult flick “Shock ‘Em Dead”. Can you still remember how
that project started? Did Noma Video, the company which produced the
film, approach you guys and ask you to write a heavy metal-themed horror
flick? Or was it the other way round and you already had a rough idea in
mind, which you introduced to the producers?
Robert: Let me first say that I really had very little to
do with this movie. I agreed to provide the sound design, engineer the
ADR (automated dialogue replacement) and score it - however, conflicts
kept me from completing it. Nonetheless, the band cues and a few of my
scene scores made the final cut.
Al Lapin, Jr., the founder of the International House of Pancakes, owned
Noma Video, Inc., which financed “Shock ‘Em Dead.” He purchased
StarLicks Productions (a video instructional company that I co-owned) in
the mid-‘80’s because he felt instructional video would be the wave of
the future.
After purchasing StarLicks, Noma Video continued to finance
instructional videos that we continued to produce in which Michael
Angelo Batio was one of the artists. I don’t recall if his playing
inspired the writing of the script or whether it was already in the
works - either way, as I recall, when Michael agreed to participate, it
sealed the deal to green-light the movie.
 What
budget did you operate on? Did you have more than enough money to
realize all your ideas or did you have to change certain scenes because
the original ideas were not realizable with the money you had available?
Robert: You have to appreciate that 90% of the actors/crew—including
myself—had never been involved in the production of a movie –
consequently, the budget wasn’t much to speak of because many who
participated did it for the sheer excitement of the experience – hence,
many worked for little to no pay.
You wrote the score and songs together with the director of the movie,
Mark Freed. What was it like working with him?
Robert: Mark Freed and I have been close friends for many
years. In the late ‘70’s, we signed a production deal with legendary
Sound City Studios and was produced by John Stronach – hence, working
with Mark on these tunes were quite fun and didn’t take much time at
all. Note that Mark had nothing to do with the score.
Did all songs you wrote and recorded make it into the final version
of the movie? Or do you still have some tunes from the “Shock ‘Em Dead”
sessions left that have never been released so far?
Robert: Many of my incidental tracks hit the wayside when
the new composer [Robert Etoll] took my place – but for the most part,
all the band segment tracks made the final cut. “Purple Haze” was edited
for the movie – the complete version can be heard at my shockemdead.com
site.
One of the biggest stars of the movie is Nitro axeman Michael Angelo
Batio, who worked as a guitar double for Angel Martin, the demonic
guitar virtuoso from hell. How did you guys convince Michael Angelo to
take part in “Shock ‘Em Dead” and what was it like to work with him?
Robert: I can’t tell you what convinced Michael to do the
movie, as I wasn’t involved it that process. However, I can tell you
that Michael was a dream to work with.
Regarding the recording session, Michael showed up with a Dean
twin-necked guitar, which I plugged into a Rockman, then directly into
the board. Preferring a bit more distortion, I patched in a stomp box
that Michael brought as well. I don’t believe that he had heard the band
tracks prior to the session – so, as a result, Michael took time to work
out the main solo and harmony on a single-neck but would refer to the
double-neck to verify that the two parts could be preformed in a
dual-necked fashion. In our quest to get precision solos in one short
studio evening, Michael performed his parts on a single-neck for instant
accuracy. Overdubs were added for a fatter sound.
 Angel
Martin reminds me quite a bit of Blackie Lawless, the frontman of the
legendary shock rockers WASP. Was that intended or did it rather happen
accidentally? And what other movies, musicians, bands, etc have inspired
the writing of the script and music of “Shock ‘Em Dead”?
Robert: I can almost guarantee you that the writers
probably had never heard of Blackie Lawless – hence, it was a
coincidence.
As for influences, I don’t believe any one band inspired the writing of
the script or music. This project was produced in the early ’90’s in
which L.A. was inundated with big-hair metal bands – hence, it was an
easy genre to poke fun at.
Do you still watch the movie from time to time? If so, which scenes
are your personal favorites? Why?
Robert: The movie is bittersweet for me. I bailed out due
to an incredible workload that Noma Video expected of me that I had
never agreed to. When I left the project, they hired Etoll to complete
the score, which ‘understandably’ eliminated much of the score I had
already implemented.
Be that as it may, I have viewed the film since and my two favorite
scenes are (1) When the Voodoo Woman tells Martin that he’ll have to
forfeit his soul to the demonic world in order to become the greatest
rock star ever, and Martin nonchalantly replies, “Alright,” and (2)
After Johnny Crack has been ultimately humiliated by being kicked off
the stage by Angel Martin, we see him in the next cut aggressively
walking to the parking lot while hearing him say, “He’s definitely out
of the band!” We added this line during Markus's looping session. It’s
these types of silly deliveries that stamp ‘campy’ on a movie.
 Can
you still remember the day “Shock ‘Em Dead” was released? Did it only
come out on VHS or was it shown on cinema screens in the US as well?
What was the reaction of the fans and media alike when the movie came
out?
Robert: It never had a theatrical release. It went
straight to video and then aired on Cinemax, The Movie Channel, and HBO.
It was released on laserdisc in the mid-’90’s and then later on DVD (but
in the PAL video format, not the NTSC video format that we use here in
the States).
By now the film is almost 20 years old and its still considered a
cult flick by old and new fans alike. What do you think is it that makes
“Shock ‘Em Dead” so entertaining and enthralling after all these years?
Robert: Because it is a “so bad, it’s good” movie. Isn’t
that the recipe for a good cult flick?
In recent years quite a few heavy metal horror flicks of the past, as
e.g. “Rock ’n’ Roll Nightmare” or “Black Roses” have been re-released as
collector’s edition deluxe DVDs with lots of extras and stuff. Do you
know if “Shock ‘Em Dead” will ever get such a release, too?
Robert: I was recently made aware of the fact that Mark
Freed has posted a note at YouTube inquiring if people would be
interested in a re-release with extras. I know I’d love to see it –
let’s keep our fingers crossed that he produces one.
And has there ever been a soundtrack LP or CD available, which
features all the songs of “Shock ‘Em Dead” in complete versions? If not,
do you think such an album will ever see the light of day? Would be
really cool, cause there’s some pretty awesome tracks.
Robert: The closest thing you’ll find are the Flash audio
files that reside on my shockemdead.com site. Even though Mark Freed and
I own the music copyrights, releasing a CD and/or downloads for sale
would involve clearance issues which I don’t think would be worth
pursuing.
 Are
you still in contact with any of the guys who worked on the film? If so,
what are they doing these days? Is anyone of them still makin’ movies?
Robert: No, I haven’t been in touch with any of them for a
while. Mark Freed wrote/directed “Lovers and Liars” aka “Criminal Desire”
in ’98, which I believe became another direct-to-video movie.
After “Shock ‘Em Dead” you have never worked on a feature film score
again. Why? And could you imagine to write some more film music in the
future if you get a decent offer?
Robert: I no longer compose; in fact, the only audio I’m
involved in is local sound design for regional theatres and producing
occasional audiobooks.
Thanks for the interview, Robert!! Is there anything left you’d like
to tell the “Shock ‘Em Dead” fans out there?
Robert: I listed “Shock ‘Em Dead” as a credit on my resume
page nearly ten years ago, and to my surprise, I’ve been answering
questions about the film ever since.
I never dreamed that this movie would ever warrant a Q&A, much less a
re-release – but I really hope it happens.
Best,
Robert |
