S. Weil interviews Mike Davis, the mastermind behind Pervert!
You have got to stand behind your work and I thought “Pervert!” would be a good place to do an interview with some of the films creators. After a few days of e-mail tag I was invited down to the production offices of Stag Films to talk with the enigmatic Mike Davis, one of the men behind “Pervert!”
I hoped on a red eye to Los Angeles as soon as the made the offer. I soon find that not only does Stag Films make movies, they also run a Laundromat as well or at least that’s what I’m assuming because the office was in the back of one. Mike Davis looked more like a Nam vet than a producer when he extended his hooked hand to me for a shake while an unfiltered Newport hung from his lips. I had never seen a man use a hook to move the wheels on his wheel chair until I met Mike that day and despite his grizzled exterior he was a warm friendly guy. Mike coughed and spit something black from his lungs onto the floor and we began the interview.
S. Weil:
First of all how did “Pervert the movie” come to be?
Mike Davis: Jonathan made a firm decision to make a feature and he needed a script that was very low budget, had only a few characters and one location. I started to think about a family, a house…and the weirdness just flowed from there. Because of the limitations I knew it had to be outrageous to make a splash.
SW: Who did what exactly on the movie?
MD: I wrote the script and co-produced (which covered everything from finding the music to cleaning the toilets on set) and Jonathan directed and produced.
SW: How did all of you meet?
MD: Jonathan and I became friends in college at NYU. I actually knew his older brother, we played in a band together, and he asked me to ‘look out’ for Jon. We ended up becoming great friends.
SW: What influenced you all as film makers?
MD: The work of Russ Meyer, John Waters, Herschell Gordon Lewis and the lifelong ideal of not taking yourself too seriously.
SW: Please describe “Pervert” for the uninformed.
MD: A wild cult comedy homage to Russ Meyer, 70s sexploitation flicks and gratuitous grindhouse gore. Quite simply the most outrageous movie ever made!
SW: How did the cast come together? Please describe how you found Darrell Sandeen and Mary Cary in particular.
MD: We approached Mary Carey and everyone else are working actors who came through the traditional auditioning process. I’m glad they turned up!
sw: Speaking of Mary Cary how did her acting skills translate from porn to serious movies like “Pervert”?
MD: We weren’t all that familiar with her work in porn, we knew Mary more from her run for Governor of California (she lost to Arnold). Her natural bubbly personality and flirtatious, fun attitude lent perfectly for what she needed for Pervert!
SW: Are you all genuine fans of breasts? Or is Pervert just paying homage to Russ Meyer?
MD: We love breasts along with every other aspect of the female form. To me, the big ones are a little more cinematic, and Russ certainly gave us great examples of that.
SW: Am I correct in thinking your locations are actual Russ Meyer’s locations?
MD: The ranch is the very same from Faster Pussycat Kill Kill! We discovered it by coincidence.
SW: Were the desert locations difficult to film in?
MD: The heat made it difficult…120 degrees when we shot in August.
SW: Who was responsible for the adorable killer penis animation?
MD: Mr. Corky Quakenbush and producer Timothy Johnson.
SW: What difficulties did you come across in the production of “Pervert” or was it a smooth ride?
MD: Considering the rough conditions it was relatively smooth. The heat made it hard for everyone and it also made the meat sculpture’s rot quickly.
SW: Was finding money for “Pervert” an issue?
MD: Money is always an issue but Jonathan was able to find some investors who really believed in him and the project.
MO: If you could go back what would you different about “Pervert”?
MD: Film it in December and hire a better caterer.
MO: What has your promotion process been like?
MD: We’ve been in a lot of festivals and had a lot of really enthusiastic reviews written about the movie. Other than that, besides our website (www.pervertthemovie.com) and myspace page, promoting takes money and we’re a bit short on that.
MO: What has been the fan response thus far?
MD: We made this movie for a specific audience and those people seem to love it. They appreciate what we set out to do and give us credit for pulling it off.
MO: Do you feel “Pervert” has found it’s audience yet?
MD: We’ve definitely found our base, but there’s a lot of perverts out there who have probably never even heard of it and would enjoy it.
MO: Do you, the films creators consider “Pervert” a success yet?
MD: Yes, because of the reaction from the audience we really wanted to reach. We were able to get a great distribution deal with TLA Releasing and the movie is slowly coming out all over the world. But I don’t think we’ll be happy until we’ve paid everybody back.
MO: What does the future hold for all of you as filmmakers?
MD: We have a project called The Corpse Corps, a motorcycle gang horror movie and homage to 60s biker flicks. I’m also making my directorial debut with a wacked out little flick entitled “Sex Galaxy” coming your way in 2008.
MO: What advice would you give to someone looking to make their own movie that isn’t considered mainstream?
MD: It’s important to please your audience, but it doesn’t matter how big that audience is. Most of the great mainstream movements didn’t start out as mainstream. But as a filmmaker you should also be careful to spend in proportion to how big or small you think your audience will be. Aw, what the hell. Just make yer movie!
The interview stopped suddenly when Mike was distracted by a panel truck pulling in front of the Laundromat. In the back I could see at least 7 or 8 Mexican children all with mining helmet on. A very strange smile grew on Mike’s face when he left me with some very haunting final words.
“Making a tunnel to Tijuana from under the office, don’t ask questions”
