Hey guys this is a real treat and a timely one with the upcoming reunion for April. On another forum, the remarkable Classic Horror Film Board, I came in contact with Ryan Brennan who is the assistant director of the Revolting Cocks “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?”. Ryan has been kind enough to write down some of his experiences from the video production and shoot for me to share here. So a big thanks to him for taking the time to share his memories about this amazing video.
He is working on a more detailed piece about the video, but for now here is a preview:
[i]Here’s a brief reminiscence of my experience on the set of The Revolting Cocks music video “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” from their album Linger Ficken’ Good. I was brought in as Assistant Director by my friend Tom Rainone, producer, writer and director of the video. Tom and I had worked on various film projects in the past and, as he liked to create a family atmosphere, it made sense that I’d help out. Two of Tom’s brothers, Greg and Pete, would be along for the ride, too, as well as a few other friends.
Shooting took place primarily in an airplane hangar at a private airfield in Joshua, Texas. Approximately one-third of the hanger was used to create the vast “Hell Club.” Because the hangar walls were peppered with minuscule holes and openings too numerous to cover, for photographic purposes the shoot took place entirely at night over a two week period.
Inside this cavernous set were a short-circuiting helicopter, a half-track vehicle, a mechanical bucking atom-bomb ride, a dancer’s stage, several tables with Ed Gein busts as centerpieces, and a twelve-foot long bar made entirely of animal bones (which was later sold for several thousand dollars).
Denizens of this lair who could be seen were Ed Neal, the hitchhiker from THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, Linnea Quigley, a prolific movie scream queen perhaps best known for RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, Jewel Shepard, another prolific scream queen, David Friedman, the (recently deceased) producer who, with Herschel Gordon Lewis, pioneered the drive-in movie gore film with movies like BLOOD FEAST and TWO THOUSAND MANIACS, and a member of the band Anthrax.
Other locations included a strip club in Arlington, Texas where a green screen effect morphs a dancer’s head into that of Al Jourgensen, and the historic Ridglea theater in Fort Worth with neon marquee ablaze. That’s brother Pete’s hardtop convertible Ford Fairlane that Chris Connelly is driving.
It was a complex and difficult shoot. Tom wanted maximum quality and production values which meant everyone giving more than the budget allowed. At Tom’s side throughout the shoot was Bob Murawski, the skilled editor of ARMY OF DARKNESS and , later, the first three SPIDER MAN movies, THE HURT LOCKER, and the recent THE RESIDENT.
This was a no frills production. Catering consisted of Whataburger take-out. There were no megaphones or walkie talkies. This last made my coordination of talent and effects, prepping them in anticipation of when they would be needed on set, troublesome. Wardrobe and Make-up were housed in a separate building outside the hangar. With no way to communicate, I would run back and forth relaying messages and checking on progress. Some details got lost in the chaos, like the nude dancer who had been body painted. We all just forgot about her. How is that possible?
Ordinarily, I would have an assistant for the footwork but mine had been commandeered by the Production Manager. She’d come out from L.A., made fun of our Texas contingent as a bunch of hicks, and then, oh so professionally, disappeared halfway through the shoot. I took over her duties.
The guys in the band were great. They were intelligent, funny and cooperative.
There are some other moments I remember. Jewel was nice, tending to talk mostly about herself and horses. There was one episode of Jewel blatantly flirting with Chris in her make-up chair, forcing him to, ahem, put hands on her.
We had a food poisoning scare. Someone said they’d heard that a nearby fast food joint had been closed down for it. When dinnertime rolled around at 3 a.m. the production assistant wasn’t there. Guess who had to rustle up some grub? I had to drive in to Fort Worth to find anything open and it just so happened to be another location in the same chain. When I got back to the set many of the cast and crew wouldn’t eat the food.
Another night Al ran through his allotment of spirits. Trouble was, he didn’t let anyone know until after 2 a.m. It looked like shooting might be shut down for the night. Tom called upon a friend who owned a bar and was inveigled into running by with a few bottles of the good stuff. The show went on.
David Friedman was elderly and tired easily. He spent his time relaxing with the numerous good looking strippers on the shoot. When he was needed on the set, though, he was full of energy. At one point he told me what a good job I was doing. He signed my copy of his autobiography with “You can be my production manager anytime.” He also wore my hat for his scenes as the barker outside the theater. I still have the hat and treasure it as a souvenir.
The hard work paid off. “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” is a memorable music video with vivid images and a fantastic wrap-up. Tom Rainone crammed a feature film’s worth of production values into just a few minutes and why he isn‘t working in Hollywood is anyone‘s guess. I’m glad I could help a buddy and be a part of music history.[/i]
Copyright 2011 Ryan Brennan.
Ryan Brennan is a writer and speaker on film, founder of The Fort Worth Filmgroup, former programming director of The Fort Worth Film Festival, and a filmmaker.