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Jan 2012 10

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I moseyed onto this train called show business many years ago and I’m still going.”
– Anthony Hopkins

Few would argue about the fact that Anthony Hopkins created one of the greatest villains in movie history with Hannibal Lecter. But since reprising that indelible role in the sequel Hannibal and the prequel Red Dragon, many have felt that Hopkins hasn’t stretched himself. All that will change when people see his portrayal of Burt Munro in The World’s Fastest Indian. Already a New Zealand legend, in 1967 Munro set off to test his bike at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. With all odds against him, he set a new speed record, which remains unbroken today.

Read our exclusive interview with Anthony Hopkins on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jan 2012 09

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I know, but it’s Hollywood. You try 19 things and make one.”
– Todd McFarlane

Todd McFarlane is one of the most popular and controversial comic book creators ever. He established his popularity in the late ’80’s drawing Marvel superhero books such as The Incredible Hulk and The Amazing Spider-Man. Then in the early ’90’s, in a uproarious and unprecedented move, McFarlane and a few of the hottest Marvel creators stopped doing Marvel books and formed their own company, Image Comics.

Riding a new wave of popularity for comic books, Image rolled out book after book which broke records including McFarlane’’s Spawn, which for a time was the best selling independent comic book, shifting 1.2 million copies of the first issue. The popularity of Spawn created a whole industry for McFarlane with comic books, a movie, a hit cartoon, and a line of extremely popular toys. Now you can relive your more pimply days with the Spawn Collection Volume 1 which reprints issues #1-8, 11, & 12.

Read our exclusive interview with Todd McFarlane on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jan 2012 06

By Nicole Breanne

The Stones, Bowie, Elvis, Hendrix, The Beatles, they all played on vinyl throughout my formative years. These guys are the soundtrack of my childhood. I was also intrigued by photographs from that era. Candid shots of the rock stars were my favorite. I would also notice the beautiful girls that were with them. I didn’t know who they were or what they did, but one in particular stood out. As I grew older and the internet came into play, I did my research, Pamela Des Barres was the name.

Pamela Des Barres – known as Miss Pamela, Queen of the Groupies – is world famous, mostly for the company she’s kept. But after reading her books, watching her documentaries, and being part of the music scene myself, I realized she was so much more. And as I got into journalism (I started as rock writer), my desire to meet and know Pamela grew and grew. Finally, I got the balls to shoot her an email and ask her for an interview…

Nicole Breanne: I grew up in a very musical household, not only did we have vinyl, but we had a lot of candid shots of rock stars. Those were my favorite. I always saw these really beautiful girls, you in particular, and I would think to myself, “I want to be those girls.” Now I look at groupies and I’m like, “Ugh, really?”

Pamela Des Barres PDB: You can’t use groupie in a negative way like you just did, I forbid it

NB: Well, that’s kind of my point, I don’t see them as groupies like I see you as one. I just didn’t know if I could call them star fuckers in your living room.

PDB: [laughs] I don’t call them that, I don’t call them anything. That wasn’t what we were about. I didn’t have sex for a long time, I wanted it to be special and I wanted to really love the person and have them really love me. But I did give oral sex – I really wanted to show my appreciation.

NB: Exactly! You weren’t there to just screw rock stars. You were these beautiful girls that were there for the band, you appreciated the music. I really feel like you guys did so much more.

PDB: I’m glad you feel that way because a lot of the bands felt that way. It wasn’t us just trying to be with them, they wanted us there. The super groupies got to be up on stage, we felt what they were feeling. It was thrilling beyond words to be up on stage when The Who was doing Tommy, The Stones with “Gimme Shelter.” I’ve been in some pretty amazing places.

NB: You’re so good about giving details, and not giving too much. You don’t go into who’s big and who’s not.

PDB: People ask that all the time! Who was the best? Who was the biggest? The funniest question I get asked, and I get asked it a lot, is, “What is jimmy pages dick like?” [laughs] So many people want to know that! It’s like wow, sorry, if you can’t find out for yourself, I’m not gonna go that far. They don’t ask about Jim Morrison or Jagger. I guess everyone saw Jagger, but Jimmy is the one they ask about.

NB: You really loved these guys, was it hard to watch them live that extreme lifestyle?

PDB: Yeah, I had to walk away sometimes. I was scared for them, sure I was. I saw them doing more and more, and the drugs got harder, it wasn’t just hash. I won’t lie, I did it too. I did it all. I never shot up though. I guess I’m lucky that I’m not an addictive person, I could walk away. But there were a few times when I had to leave because I couldn’t watch.

NB: Again, you really cared about these guys — but you weren’t the only girl that was around. When I watched the documentary based on your second book, Let’s Spend The Night Together: Confessions of Rock’s Greatest Groupies, I was struck by how there was no jealousy. Was there any of that?

PDB: No. We all really liked each other and we were careful not to step on each other’s toes. When the scene changed and some younger girls came in — that’s a different story. They just wanted us out, and there was name-calling and that kind of thing. Not all of them. There are a few good girls that I still keep in touch with. But the original girls weren’t like that. I loved doing that documentary because I got to spend double time with the girls. They’re still some of my best friends.

NB: What’s it like when you listen to the music of that time – do you still feel that same?

PDB: Some of it is way too emotional. It brings back way too many emotional things. I get very heady. I can’t even listen to “Stairway.” It brings back way too many memories. When it’s on the radio I can’t wait to turn it off, especially if I’m driving. I still listen to Graham Parsons. I was moved by him and his voice and his intense desire to share what he was doing with music. He was so dedicate and I’m obsessed with him still. There was a girl from France who was interviewing me because she’s doing a comic book series on the GTO’s and I asked if she knew him and she said no [so] I gave her CDs. I’m like that, because if someone really loves music, they need to know Graham. That’s what he was about, spreading music.

NB: In your second book you talk about your divorce, your son — it’s a very personal book. Did you just decide that you were going to go balls out with this and tell it all?

PDB: I did that with all my books. But my second book…it’s a different book, its my favorite one. It’s not as well read as the first one, the first one was a bestseller for a long time. I have fans, they’re reading them, but I wish more people knew about the sequel.

NB: You’re working on your fifth book now…

PDB: Yeah, my fifth book will be about my spiritual journey. My agent is having a hard time selling it because I am perceived as a “groupie” and a “groupie” shouldn’t have spirituality I guess. But we have interest from a smaller house.

NB: You teach a writing class – how did that start?

PDB: I would periodically go take a refresher creative writing course throughout my life. Moon Zappa said, “I’ve got this really cool writing teacher you may want to check it out.” So, I went and half-way through the class I thought – I should be teaching this, I could be teaching this! So I thought about it for a year, then I decided to take the plunge and just go for it. I advertised on MySpace, because that’s what was happening at the time. My first group met right here, about 10-12 girls, and they loved it. It’s just great groups of women who are all like-minded, and they have these amazing stories, so life long friendships are made. It’s worked out. I’ve been doing it for 12 years now. I’ve been traveling and now I teach all over and I’m doing my first European trip too.

NB: How do you feel about music today?

PDB: There’s a lot of things I like, nothing like the renaissance I lived though where every thing was great – The Stones, The Byrds, The Doors. I had to choose between The Stones and The Burrito’s. I remember Mercy invited me to Monterrey and I said, “I can’t go I can’t miss The Burrito Brothers!” Now that is one of the few things I regret. But I love Lucinda Williams. She’s the only singer that has moved me like that in decades. I liked Ryan Adams for a while. He went off the rails for a bit, but his new album is good. My boyfriend Mike Stinson is the greatest songwriter. I still go to see Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Dylan always, always. I set my alarm to make sure I get up to get the best seats. Paul McCartney. Mainly the bands I liked then I’ll go see now.

NB: Do you feel like it could happen again? That someone can come along and just revolutionize music?

PDB: It happened in rap, Eminem is a real big favorite of mine because he took that whole other part of music and created it for himself. That was amazing. He’s the last person that has moved me in that kind of way, in the way that I was like, “Wow, this guy is doing something.” Not since Kurt Cobain. Kurt Cobain was the dude.

***

I left Pamela’s house completely elated. She was more than I had ever dreamed she could be. She was poised and kind, and still insanely beautiful. Part of me hoped that meeting her would quell my thirst for that time. Maybe it wouldn’t be as great as I thought it was, maybe she wouldn’t be. But, alas, I’m left with even more of a longing – so much so, that I’ll be at her January writing class. If, like me, you can’t get enough of Pamela, be sure to sign up for one of her creative writing workshops. Alternatively, you can join one of her Rock Tours, during which she takes groups around Hollywood to her old haunts and reads excerpts from her book. It’s a pretty kick ass trip down memory lane!

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Jan 2012 06

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“Whereas these rock stars were who they were but I completed invented Alice. He’’s an animated character who is fun to play. To this day I really look forward to playing that character on stage. ”
– Alice Cooper

I remember the first time I saw Alice Cooper. It was some bizarre commercial on MTV. It was some janitor picking up an Alice Cooper album and commenting on how scary he was. Then he turned around and it was Alice yelling into the camera. I nearly shit myself and I went to sleep crying. Alice Cooper has that kind of impression on people. Once you see him, you never forget him.

Now you can see the tour that was Alice at his height of his powers on the Billion Dollar Babies Tour. Shout Factory has just released the DVD Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper – Live 1973 – Billion Dollar Babies Tour. Besides having Alice sing some of his classics such as “I’m Eighteen,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “School’s Out,” it also sports some great extras like an Alice Cooper commentary, deleted scene and outtakes.

Read our exclusive interview with Alice Cooper on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jan 2012 05

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“My work doesn’t really have much to do with my personal relationships…”
– Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel is as beautiful, funny and charming in person as you all expected. Even though she comes from a family of movie people, her father is legendary cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, Zooey seems as down to earth as anyone. I got a chance to talk with her at the Toronto Film Festival where Winter Passing, her newest independent film, premiered.

Winter Passing has Deschanel playing a young actor who returns home after a seven-year absence to her famous alcoholic father [Ed Harris] and a house full of strangers that include a religious wandering loner [Will Ferrell] and one of her father’s former students [Amelia Warner].

Read our exclusive interview with Zooey Deschanel on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jan 2012 04

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“I can throw a punch but man, when it comes to gracefulness, I’’m definitely on the bottom of the list. I trained for a year ahead of time to get everything right.”
– Milla Jovovich

For the internet crowd Ultraviolet is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. Writer/director Kurt Wimmer’s last film was Equilibrium, which even though it did not do well at the box office, became a major hit on DVD. Equilibrium’‘s unique blend of martial arts and guns, called gunkata, has spawned a cult of its own.

In Ultraviolet Milla Jovovich plays Violet who is part of a subculture of humans who have been genetically modified by a vampire-like disease giving them enhanced speed, incredible stamina, and acute intelligence. They are at war with the humans and now Violet must protect a nine-year old boy who has been marked for death by the human government.

I got a chance to talk with Jovovich at the first New York Comicon.

Read our exclusive interview with Milla Jovovich on SuicideGirls.com.

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Jan 2012 03

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“When I see a movie, I want to be able to face the angel of darkness, to be able to see something more intense and extreme than I’’m used to having in my real life.”
– Alexandre Aja

Alexandre Aja is turning into a great horror auteur. He first broke into the American market with the disturbing thriller High Tension. Now he is releasing his first American horror film, a remake of the classic The Hills Have Eyes. This version casts Silence of the Lambs star Ted Levine as a loving father with a whole town fill irradiated mutants to fight.

Read our exclusive interview with Alexandre Aja on SuicideGirls.com.