A while back I had been one of the leads in a
short film by director Phil Volken. The film is called “The Great Venice
Robbery” and I played a hapless, stuttering homeless urchin named Pookie. It
was an exceptionally clever and fun film. Phil had now gone on to direct a
feature called “Garbage” which was to have its premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and he extended an invitation to me which I
gladly accepted. The film was a satire on the Hollywood celebrity machine and
featured cameos of Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen, William Baldwin and
Steven Bauer. Sounded like fun.
My first thought was who to bring as my guest. The answer came almost as
soon as the question entered my mind and I called up my friend Bill Oberst
Jr.--a fellow actor and an indie horror film icon. Bill’s a warm, wise man
who’s always good company so I was happy he accepted my invitation. We got
ourselves duded up and arrived at the screening.
As we waited to get onto the red carpet, we bumped into more friends: Ron
Ranson (my fellow “Robbery” actor, who had a cameo in “Garbage”), adorable
scream queen Devanny Pinn and handsome actor/director Brandon Slagle (who both
worked with Bill on several projects). Then we hit the red carpet and let the
photographers have their way with us. It’s always fun to see what photographers
call to you and ask you for several poses or shots and which photographers look
glazed over. I just get a kick out of wondering how many of the photos will turn
out making me look like the undead. The dorky undead.
We survive and take our seats for the show. Phil and producer Alina
Shraybman speak beforehand, not looking a day older than the last time I saw
them. Then the movie starts and the laughter begins. The whole experience is
just about as much fun as you can have in a tux jacket…without getting plastered and making an embarrassing speech about a
bride and groom.
So...who wants to be my date for the next red carpet?
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