November 7, 2002
By Derek Miner
READ MORE ABOUT IT: SPECIAL EDITION
TEN MINUTES WITH BRUCE CAMPBELL, STAR OF...ER, AUTHOR
Celebrity can be a funny thing. I’m talking literally and figuratively, here.
I’m fond of repeating something I once heard about how “people dig what they dig,” essentially pointing up that everyone’s got their thing which may not always be your thing. I mean, if you’re here reading Movie Poop Shoot, you likely enjoy the works of Kevin Smith. But even if your entire circle of friends can claim the same hard-on for the guy’s stuff, he’s not considered as bankable as, say, Will Smith or (ugh) Reese Witherspoon. Okay, that’s the figurative part.
The literally funny part of celebrity is embodied by Bruce Campbell’s IF CHINS COULD KILL: CONFESSIONS OF A B-MOVIE ACTOR. For those who might be in the dark as to Campbell’s credentials, the man is best known as Ash, the cracking-wise hero of Sam Raimi’s EVIL DEAD films. Campbell has also made a name for himself in television, starring in THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY, JR. as well as making occasional appearances on HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS and XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS.
Yeah, all that stuff’s in the book, as are some of Campbell’s experiences on oft-forgotten projects such as CONGO and McHALE’S NAVY. Of course, if reading about the entertainment biz isn’t completely your bag, then you can also read about Bruce’s nightmare 1973 Chevy Bel Air or the fox that ate his hat. See, IF CHINS COULD KILL is less an in-depth chronicle of the life of Bruce Campbell than an entertaining collection of anecdotes.
We get a nice overview of Campbell’s early years, skirting near-death with his brothers and shooting Super-8 films with high school pals (among them this guy named Raimi who went on to direct something called SPIDER-MAN). Then Campbell and Co. decide to make a feature film, all the while paying the bills with odd jobs such as driving a cab. That low-budget feature turned out to be the first EVIL DEAD, and a fair amount of the book is given to the whole process of conceiving, financing, casting, scouting and shooting the film.
The rest of the book is a breezy trip through various projects Campbell has been associated with over the years, with occasional asides for personal revelations. It’s a quick read, and a fascinating one at that. Campbell takes us in for the everyday schmoe’s view of how the film biz really works, laying out just how tough the odds are at making a dent in the industry.
Oh yeah, I said it was funny, right? As you might expect the smart-ass of the EVIL DEAD flicks and the fast-talking reporter of THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, Campbell infuses his book with a refreshingly clever and self-deprecating sense of humor, right down to the photo captions (a couple of my favorites being “Bruce Campbell: Crappy Set Designer” and “Gain credibility, grow a beard.”).
Funnily enough (ha ha), Campbell operates from that literal realm of celebrity I talked about earlier. “Am I supposed to know this guy? you think to yourself,” Campbell suggests within the dust jacket of the book. “No, and that’s exactly the point.” It may surprise a fan or two to know that even after two EVIL DEAD films, Bruce Campbell was still broke and pounding the pavement for work in Hollywood (or “Sporesville,” as he calls it, as the only explanation for the senility of long-term inhabitants seems to be spore infestation).
“I’ve always been more interested in the working stiffs of Hollywood,” Campbell insists. And the book really does play as a tribute to the hard work that goes in to every movie or show, even if they don’t all turn out winners. Campbell’s book suggests a “no regrets” attitude about it all. Some of the stuff that Campbell and pals go through for the sake of a movie is downright hellish, but it’s passion and even fun that keeps Campbell going.
Perhaps the most fascinating thing for me in the book is Campbell’s all-around understanding of the filmmaking process – he considers it collaborative and communal, where being familiar with the jobs of fellow crew members makes things run much smoother. The book contains interesting looks at how certain effects got accomplished and how the marketing for EVIL DEAD was devised. Campbell also shares a bit of his own acting philosophy and how it ties in with Bruce Campbell the director. Of course, some of the stories in the book are the “baptism by fire” variety, so Campbell has the perspective of someone who’s been in the position of doing almost every job on a film.
So the general public may not know Bruce Campbell, but his appearances draw hundreds of fans that will queue up for hours just to shake the guy’s hand and get an autograph. I once knew a guy who applauded Campbell’s screen credit at the start of THE HUDSUCKER PROXY.
Campbell recently returned to my neck of the woods on a tour to promote the paperback release of IF CHINS COULD KILL. A Halloween-eve screening of ARMY OF DARKNESS preceded Campbell’s appearance at the University of South Florida, with a few hundred eager fans jockeying for a place in line to get their book signed along with various other Campbell artifacts – DVDs, collectibles, posters, breasts.
Give Bruce Campbell a room and he’ll win ‘em over. He first offered some amusing factoids on the state of Florida, leading to his own experiences with the Sunshine State. Campbell explained that he was first propositioned in Florida, while here for a commercial shoot many years ago. He also told the story of an EVIL DEAD II location scout where the local guide’s idea of a night on the town meant a backwoods fish shack where they gorged themselves for what seemed like pennies.
But Campbell’s main topic of the evening was the media. “How original is Hollywood?” he asked, launching into a list of sequels and remakes that infested multiplexes this year. He was even willing to take a pot-shot at his own role in SERVING SARA. Campbell went on to talk about the shrinking audience shares of television, ultimately railing against the sad state of TV news – sensationalistic, single-minded and littered with those annoying graphics.
But the highlight of an evening with Bruce Campbell is the Question & Answer session. Campbell can really get a crowd going with the occasional sarcastic barb. One guy tried desperately to get Bruce’s attention to ask him to say “woodshed.” After a thoughtful pause, Campbell replied, “Am I your little monkey?”
Another question from the audience allowed Campbell to explain the concept of the upcoming BUBBA HO-TEP, in which he plays a sixty-something Elvis who whiles away the years in a nursing home with cancer of the penis. At the nursing home, Elvis meets a black man (played by Ossie Davis) who claims that he is John F. Kennedy. But the man also claims that a mummy is sneaking into the home at night and stealing the residents’ souls – which turns out to be true!
After an hour on stage, Campbell took to signing books for the assembled crowd. As anyone who has been to one of these book tour stops will attest, Bruce Campbell remains pleasant and conversational, even after signing books for nearly three hours. It was at this point, over 200 autographs later, where “Read More About It!” got ten minutes with the man.
Of course, as the three-hour signing went on, I had plenty of opportunity to think about just what to ask Campbell. Obviously, he’s got a following and has been interviewed many times about the usual stuff – EVIL DEAD, BRISCO COUNTY, HERCULES. So just what do you ask a guy who’s heard it all?
Movie Poop Shoot: Why is JACKASS: THE MOVIE the number one movie in America?
Bruce Campbell: Because the regular movies are so bad, it’s not like the audience is missing anything. I think with JACKASS, there’s obviously large groups of people who don’t mind being wacky and dumb. People are all up in arms and stuff, but you know what, if your kid is doing what they see on TV, then your kid’s a fool, and you as parents have failed. You’ve got to show kids what’s smart and what’s dumb. Anyone who lights himself on fire… I mean, come on. “The devil made me do it,” that’s what’s coming next.
MPS: You’ve obviously put a lot of research into media topics…
BC: Not that much, but, you know, I stay current with it.
MPS: Have you ever considered writing anything on it? Like a Marshall McLuhan of the 21st century?
BC: Ah, hell, I don’t know. No, the next book is about relationships. It’s a gag book on relationships called MAKE LOVE THE BRUCE CAMPBELL WAY.
MPS: How is the difference between shopping ideas around for books and shopping ideas around for movies?
BC: Ah… similar, yet the book world – they read books. They read. In L.A., you drop off a script for someone to read over the weekend, they never read it. They don’t read in L.A. In New York, they read. So I like it. They’re more responsible; they return your phone calls. It’s not as flaky.
MPS: So you’re big on working in the books?
BC: I am, yeah. It’s a whole new ballgame. And it’s nice to work in a different medium; it just makes things more interesting. For me, anyway.
MPS: Do you like being able to attach a book tour to appearances, rather than just going out as “Bruce Campbell: Star of…”
BC: Yeah, I think it’s better if you can do that, because then there’s more at stake. There’s more of you in the event. The one thing I enjoy now is going to conventions and looking down the line and every sixth person has a book. To me, that’s more satisfying to sign than some movie that I did fifteen years ago.
MPS: What would you say to people who say, “Hey! I already bought this book in hardcover. I spent $25, and now you’ve put more stuff in it!”
BC: Yeah, they don’t have to buy the new version, they can stick with the hardcover. To be fair, rather than cramming out just another paperback, we thought, “Let’s put some new stuff in.” And the publisher was fine, they thought they’d keep it.
MPS: Do you have any books that you like, or would recommend, for reading about any topic in the entertainment industry?
BC: I thought a book that was really appropriate was called FINAL CUT, it was about making HEAVEN’S GATE. There’s another book called EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS – a really good book about the industry. MOVIOLA is an interesting book, because it gives you some history woven into a fictional setting. So that’s a couple cool books. I like autobiographies.
MPS: I keep hearing so much about BUBBA HO-TEP, any chance people will be seeing it soon?
BC: It’s just screening in selected theatres. I showed it in Houston. We showed it in Toronto and Las Vegas, and I’m going up to Portland to show it. We showed it in Michigan recently. So there’s only a few places that can run it for right now, because we’re trying to get it into festivals, and then we’ll see what happens. You’ll see it next year sometime. I mean, the movie’s done, so it’s only a matter of time.
MPS: That’s good. It seems like a lot of people are talking about it now. I’ve seen a lot of reviews from the film festivals, and people are really digging the movie, and it’s like, “Um, when are the rest of us going to see this?”
BC: Yeah, we’re trying to amp people up about it.
MPS: So, I’m going out to Sporesville for a vacation…
BC: Oh, watch out! You’ll be okay. How long is your vacation?
MPS: Like nine days…
BC: When you come back, I’d put your head in a freezer for about ten minutes to kill the spores. That’s a good idea.
MPS: For anyone who’s going out there, is there anything you think they should see or do?
BC: Um, I’d go to the ocean, I’d go to the mountains; I’d go to the beaches. There’s lots of fun stuff to do. But movie-wise, I’d go to Universal Studios and crap like that. I don’t know, Disneyland? Some bullshit… I don’t know, I don’t live there, so…
MPS: For good reason, I imagine. I would imagine you can’t take too much for too long before you go crazy.
BC: Well, I can’t. I’m not a big city guy; I’m a small town guy. So I did my ten years there, I put in my time, did my penance.
MPS: Does growing a beard really help with the credibility?
BC: To a degree. (chuckles) I mean, no, not at the end of the day. No, it’s just going to be you. It’s you as a person – are you a credible person? As a filmmaker, if you’re trying to get money from an investor, you’d better have the answers.
MPS: Anything else you want to tell us about the next book?
BC: It’ll be out next fall. So, stay tuned. Pre-order it!
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